Christianity.com: Is street preaching a good way to evangelize in today's culture?-Jonathan Leeman

Preaching belongs to preachers, who have the guidance and power of God behind them because of the gift of evangelism imparted to them. Those without this gift really don't understand preaching except by the reasoning of their minds. The Word goes forth in power to those whom God has previously prepared to hear the what the Spirit has to say. Many gifts have been shed abroad to the church. A teacher, a prophet, a discerner of spirits, etc. should not feel guilted into spreading the gospel because Jesus said GO! Jesus knows whom he has equipped to go. Non evangelists have been equipped for the building up of the body and other such areas of service that will certainly have the testimony of the presence of God within them by their obedience to their own gifting. I am extremely impressed, humbled, and in awe of each gift as it works according to the purpose and power it has been assigned. I feel one of the biggest reasons for disagreement in the church today is due to leaders or over zealous Christians who have not been properly instructed to mind their own gift while glorifying God for the others.

If I may, may I offer a defense of effective street preaching? If the evangelist on the street is rude or appears distant, he is preaching under his own power, not under God's Power. There are, unfortunately, street evangelists who get a sense of satisfaction from being ignored and rejected---an unfortunate ego fulfillment, making emotional and physical separation very easy. But taking the Gospel to the streets under God's Guidance opens up the street missionary to emotional closeness and unfortunate pain through being ridiculed by many, but still being kind to people, close to them, and responsive to people's value to God, though he will speak against sin with frankness and boldness. God loves all people and does not want anyone to go to Hell for eternity, but rather be with Him for all eternity. However, He hates sin, Satan and his fallen angels, and what sin has done to creation and to the human race. The street preacher, under God's Guidance, will point out God's hatred for sin but His deep Love for the human race. That takes a lot of courage, a willingness to be vulnerable and close to people, and love for people that can only come from God, and not be a self-satisfying, self-centered ego-trip.

I believe that street preaching is better than doing nothing. Besides, if what the preacher is doing is promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ then he obeying the command of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who will judge our work anyway.

Every Christian should truly believe that every person you meet and see in the mall shopping, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, etc etc, every single one of them will suffer and be tortured in HELL for eternity if they do not repent and believe. Do you believe that? Would you watch a blind man stand in the street unaware that a semi-truck is bearing down on them and then very politely, without offending them, tell them the truck is coming? or would you yell and scream and do everything you could to get them out of the way of destruction? Most Christians must not really believe that every single person they see is going to burn in hell because if they believed it, they would warn people. Everyday I flat out DO NOT warn people, I will be the first to admit that I fail every day. But I do do street evangelism. I pass out tracks. I share the gospel. I'm trying. How many "christians" have friends and family members that if Christ came back tonight, those people could point at you and say "you never warned me! "?

Good Stuff! I agree.

Street evangelism should be centered on salvation but I hear some condemned unbelievers and make them scared retuning Christ. I remember Jesus was in zachus house and converted him in evangelism mission. Jesus did not come to condemned but to save. I met a friend that told me he felt he will never been forgiven the way some one preached to him. But thank God he is saved.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is not a easy thing to do in this society, street Evangelize, but, it must be done, and believe me, you be supprise of many people that will admired the Gospel from you, and some will rejected it from you. The must important things that we need to know, is that, we are serving a living God.Be in good courage Saints.

I think street preaching is a dynamic way of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord has leaded me out to preach the Gospel on the street corners and even in some of the worst neighborhoods in Louisville, Ky. Yes, I ran across some problems where people said stuff and threw rocks, but I stood on the Word of God. He warned us that we will suffer persecution, whether it is on the streets corners or in the House of God. Nevertheless, the people out there are receiving the Gospel, yokes are being destroyed, and people are being saved, healed, and delivered. I'm just an instrument of God, but it's the Word of God that does the work. Luke 14:23-And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.

Let them be, it wake's up the one's that don't want to here, maybe 1or2 out of 10 could be saved. they are not harming anybody just spreading the love and putting themselves in danger of getting mistreated. Stay blessed....

I don't know if I completely agree, what is Mr. Leeman's Point. If you think street evangelist are not realistic in their appraoch...open a street evangelistic school! we are so quick to point a finger at each other, so quick to say one one brother is not doing right when we are doing nothing. Most of us don't preach the gospel anywhere....if we don't have a platform as a minister. I believe that one plants, one waters but it is God who gives the increase...I say, do what God has given you to do and pray for our brothers and sister that you think is in error... if they are not against Jesus, then they are for Him... Stop trying to be God!

If you take a look at Jesus ministry you can see that when it came to evangelizing he mostly did it on an personal individual basis (Matt 28:18-21 you have to make, teach, obey), as far as street corner..NO.. In the Synagogues...YES..(let those with itching ears hear)they were already to listen , sometimes we like to think that Jesus was preaching always to the masses. In more-so he was there healing, serving the poor in spirit, he knew the masses were and still not ready for the truth(the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few). Not all are ready or will turn to god. Technically all the good he did, his ministry was small...12...to the special kind of friends 3 in the garden of Gethsemane. You have to see that there is a reason....Disciples of Jesus/God is mentioned over 270 times in the Bible and only 3 times for Christians...the masses WANT to claim Christianity...discipleship is a lifestyle.

OK Leeman said lots, but in essence NOTHING. I guess he never heard about Open Ai rcampaigners. Preach inside vs outside a church building was most of his talk. I did LOTS of open air preaching. I think most of us in North America (I live in Canada) avoid evangelism. There is a large group of Christians in Istanbul, Turkey who do street preaching a la OAC at least once a week. John 3:16 focuses on God's Love.

was John the baptist nice. If he was why was he arrested, put in prison and beheaded. Jesus got the leaders of the Church so worked up they hung Him on a cross. The message of the cross is offensive to some people, but God will still be glorified even in that. We can do it lovingly and it will still be offensive to some. Perhaps those that are being pushed away were never meant to hear it.

I have experienced far too many offensive street preachers that PUSH people from God. Too many get to TELLING and not announcing. I would say the division between benefit and harm is WAAAAY over to the harm side. I gristle when I see them and I am a believer.

Yes, why not? Christians need to be visible and we don't get shot down or bombed or kidnapped by being visible like in Islamic nations. We should use our freedom, power and creativity in every neutral mean possible where we are planted. I don't get embarrassed anymore after learning how much my brothers and sisters in Christ risk in some parts of our world by simply identifying themselves with Jesus and being visible. We risk too nothing for our God in the free world.