Should we as Christians be spreading a tougher message?

[Leannaix]

From a non-believer's perspective:
There are plenty of christians who are already harsh towards non-believers. Very harsh. They judge all the time and are hypocritical. I am not saying all. But there are many, and I'm sure you all know that; they make good christians look bad. But if you are worried about getting people to believe, spreading a harsher message will not do you any favors. Really, the Kumbayah, Jesus around a campfire thing doesn't seem to work half the time, because so many non-believers have had run-ins with the "bad christians." My advice, and I don't know that it's worth much, would be to just let it be known that you are a christian, live how you are supposed to according to the Bible and don't concern youself with non-believers' actions. You telling them the Bible says they are sinning won't matter a lick to them if they don't believe in the Bible, and Hell won't scare them if they think its made up. If you want to subtley mention your faith every once in a while while living a good life that looks attractive to others, you are more likely to gain christian brothers and sisters than if you are out preaching fire and brimstone. Because let me tell you from experience, when a Christian threatens me with Hell, it is as scary as me threating you with getting coal from Santa this year. And it just makes you look hateful.

 

[tourist]

What do you mean by harsher message? That we should tell them they are going to go to Hell and burn if they don't choose God? Do you think that would make them love God and want to follow Him....

I can tell you that it would make me turn and run from this God as all He wants to do is punish me for something I am un-capable of doing which is clean myself up and be perfect before I can come to Him...

God in love sent His Son Jesus to die for us while we were yet sinners, before we even thought of cleaning ourselves up or before we ever even knew we needed God or a Savior, that is when God sent Jesus to die for us. Because He so loved us that He gave up His Son to die for us.

Do we need a harsher message No because the existing message of the gospel is strong enough on it's own to compel people to change, the problem is that we as Christians don't live and give the example of saved loving Christians toward each other much less those around us. So the only cleaning up we need to do is to fall at the feet of Jesus and humble ourselves and truly give our hearts to God to make us new creatures so that we can go out and spread the existing gospel of love with loving hearts to all that we come in contact with and with Jesus/Holy Spirit living in us Jesus said if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me.

We need to lift up Jesus and be living examples of His love that will draw men to God not a harsher gospel. Those are my thoughts on this matter.

I agree with you completely on this matter. I have had a hard life and I am all set with the 'harsh'. I don't believe that the love of God is expressed harshly as the Lord is welcoming all that are weary to come to Him as His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I think that He softly expressed this and was not the least bit harsh about it.

 

[Angelmommie]

Agreed Roger


The one that brings the truth is not judging as those on this post seem to say

It is the Lord's Word that judges .... not the messenger

..and that was the question..should the messengers message be tougher..do you not have to judge "THE SIN" in order to know what message you maybe spreading? The one thing we are never to judge is a persons salvation, that is jesus alone to judge..but we are to judge sin right? (did I just go off my own topic?)

 

[Straightshot]

All things are for the Lord to judge

But the messenger of the Lord must tell His truth with no compromise .... otherwise humans will not be impressed

The human will is strong and apart from the Lord's ... and the message must not be discounted by the messenger

 

[Angelmommie]

All things are for the Lord to judge

But the messenger of the Lord must tell His truth with no compromise .... otherwise humans will not be impressed

The human will is strong and apart from the Lord's ... and the message must not be discounted by the messenger

I am not sure you are getting my point...but maybe that is because judge is the only descriptive word I can think of to use..example..if you are talking to a "straight" person are you going to be giving them the message of what God said about being homosexual? If you are talking to a adulterer are you not going to give them the message of adultery? You need to "judge" the sin in order to relay the correct message...

 

[Jackson123]

I believe there is a different between judge and spreed love message.

When I said Jesus is the only way to heaven, it is indirectly say Muslim, Hindu etc go to hell.

Is that mean I judge them, Than what must I say, Jesus not the only way? Then it is lie.

When I say homosexual is sin, is it a judge or just spreed what the bible say.

I think depend on our motif. If we concern about one salvation and with love we say the truth, pray and cray for that person,
Than it is love and not judge.

 

[oldthennew]

everyday I lose a little more respect for Christianity. I'm starting to think of all of Christianity as nothing but a giant club for trolls.

================================================================

grampa,

we certainly understand your conclusion of the world's system of 'ungodly-baiting' in order to
gain power over people's pocket-books, but even more devious, is their goal to get 'control of
the individuals themselves',
through devious manipulations of the Word of God, = teaching that their own ministry gains
will produce godliness & prosperity for the donators, which in reality the money goes into their
own pockets enhancing their own mega-live-styles.

recently we have read the History of Christianity, and our conclusion was that the 'history was not very Christian'.
but, even knowing this, we do not confuse man's wickedness with God Righteousness.
like it is written, 'they say the Lord hath said, so and so, but in reality He has not',
they speak the deception and delusion of their own hearts, for their own gain.
like it is written, 'the heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it'?

therefore, we must all, cling to the Living God as if our lives depended upon it,
which they surely do, both now and forever more.

 

[Billyd]

Let me tell you about my living water, or If you don't partake of my living water, you are going straight to hell.

Did you know that you can know that you have eternal life, or If you don't my savior, you will go to hell.

Which would you respond to?

 

[Joidevivre]

Tougher or not tough, the important thing is to only lift up Christ in all our witnessing. That isn't done when we point out what people are doing that is wrong, or what they should be doing.

Once someone really sees Christ and begins a relationship with Him through prayer and His Word, all else really does fall into place.

 

[AgeofKnowledge]

Sin is already judged and communicating to the world that sin falls short of God's holiness was part of what the Mosaic Law was designed to do.

All we're doing is sharing accurate information with people for their benefit. Many reject the "good news" and turn on the messengers. Certainly how we deliver the "good news" matters, as one poster in this discussion accurately pointed out, but many choose to reject the Gospel regardless while others do accept the Gospel. This has been the case since Christ began His ministry.

As for Christians judging, read this: What Did Jesus Mean by "Judge Not"? | PARSE

I am not sure you are getting my point...but maybe that is because judge is the only descriptive word I can think of to use..example..if you are talking to a "straight" person are you going to be giving them the message of what God said about being homosexual? If you are talking to a adulterer are you not going to give them the message of adultery? You need to "judge" the sin in order to relay the correct message...

 

[88]

Judge not really means don't condemn---- we are suppose to judge in the sense of evaluating--- judge the by their fruit....a lot of time when people say don't judge me---- they mean------ let me or be whatever I want without evaluation---- we will even judge and evaluate ange!s....

 

[Stephen63]

Christians SHOULD be spreading a tougher message, for if you don't, those that water down the message of the Kingdom will continue to do so until there's nothing left but water.
We are in the last days, the message needs to be tougher. Look at the message in the beginning of the NT church..... Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Today's church needs to repent for not studying the scriptures for themselves & falling prey to every false doctrine coming & going.

The church has been warned to grow up & know the Word.
NASB
Eph 4:11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Right in this very forum folks are being schemed & tricked & deceived by those who claim entering the strait gate is a flowery bed of ease, making their disciples a two-fold child of Hell than themselves.

 

[Willie-T]

I have been thinking about this a lot recently..(and someones thread gave me the idea to ask others),so I will ask you, does it bother you when people..mostly non-christian's I think..use the whole don't judge others, like Jesus was just about the whole kumbyah sitting around the campfire holding hands stuff..do you think that maybe we should be spreading a little harsher message, because in the end we are going to be judged, so shouldn't we be spreading the what not to do message more along with the Jesus is love message? (I mean obviously you need to be free of the sin yourself before "judging" or helping others maybe a better term). Ok that has been on my mind for awhile so thanks for sharing your thought with me..

Can you repeat, here, the words Jesus used when He told us what the message was that we were to carry into all the world? What, exactly, did He tell us to do and say?

 

[Willie-T]

Christians SHOULD be spreading a tougher message, for if you don't, those that water down the message of the Kingdom will continue to do so until there's nothing left but water.
We are in the last days, the message needs to be tougher. Look at the message in the beginning of the NT church..... Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Today's church needs to repent for not studying the scriptures for themselves & falling prey to every false doctrine coming & going.

The church has been warned to grow up & know the Word.
NASB
Eph 4:11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Right in this very forum folks are being schemed & tricked & deceived by those who claim entering the strait gate is a flowery bed of ease, making their disciples a two-fold child of Hell than themselves.

Why don't you surprise yourself by actually finding those words I BOLDED above, and quoting them here? What was it they were doing that was sending people to Hell?

 

[Stephen63]

Why don't you surprise yourself by actually finding those words I BOLDED above, and quoting them here? What was it they were doing that was sending people to Hell?

Teaching the traditions of the elders, which is just another term for false doctrine. The false doctrine of today is just as hellish, & will send a person to Hell just as fast.

 

[Willie-T]

Teaching the traditions of the elders, which is just another term for false doctrine. The false doctrine of today is just as hellish, & will send a person to Hell just as fast.

I guess you need some help. It's Matthew 23.

 

[Stephen63]

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte(convert); and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

What's your point? I know you want to say it.

 

[Dino246]

Christians SHOULD be spreading a tougher message, for if you don't, those that water down the message of the Kingdom will continue to do so until there's nothing left but water.

Spreading a tougher message is not the antidote to a watery gospel. Both are aberrations. The true gospel is offensive and foolish to the unbeliever. It is the word of life to those who hear it.

Right in this very forum folks are being schemed & tricked & deceived by those who claim entering the strait gate is a flowery bed of ease, making their disciples a two-fold child of Hell than themselves.

Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" and, "I am the door". Taking His simple message and adding complexity to it doesn't make it better. Taking Jesus' words to the Pharisees and twisting them to criticize fellow believers in Christ is just shmeg.

 

[Willie-T]

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte(convert); and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

What's your point? I know you want to say it.

Boy, I think you would fight God, himself, if He stood right in front of you.

I said Matthew 23.... NOT just Matthew 23:15. They were doing a bit more than simply traveling on sea and land.

 

[Stephen63]

Boy, I think you would fight God, himself, if He stood right in front of you.

No, I just believe in standing for what I believe, that's all.