T-shirt/tract evangelism.

[Phrankdatank9001]

Alright, I'm not a guy who likes to go up to strangers and do cold evangelism(I can't do cold anything, had a telemarketing job back in May 2008 and quit in 3 days), and I even have a hard time doing 1-on-1 evangelism with friends.

However, since the gospel is a talent that the Lord has entrusted unto all His servants, instead of just burying it, I've been wearing T-shirts for quite some time. I don't wear the typical "take the deal" or "Jesus died for myspace in Heaven" shirts, but rather I use custom designs from cafepress.com and zazzle.com that preach repentance, saying things like "Repent Now and submit to Jesus or burn!" or "Repent or Perish" or other such things. Is doing such a good way to silently spread the gospel to the random people I walk past every day?

Secondly, I've been wanting to get back into tract evangelism(haven't done it since 2007 when I laid them across HS for 3 months before the principal told me not to do it anymore), but as I said, I'm not a guy who likes to coldly approach strangers, so I mainly lay them down in places. I'm in college, so I'm sure there's a huge variety of places to lay them down. Also for the laying them down in stores, benches, and around campus, how do I go about laying them down without attracting the attention of an employee, manager, or campus policemen or other such people that might tell me to stop laying them down? Also, wouldn't laying them down like that be seen as littering by the general public? Where I live, one can be fined $1000 for littering.

So, is what I'm suggesting a good and easy way of fulfilling the great commission?

[WartHog]

Greetings,

Is your name Frank? Just a guess.

First, I give you kudos and lift you up in our Lord's name for wanting to serve Him. I like T-shirts too. I am one of those persons who has a tendency to be straight forward and "in your face" with my ministry too. I think the kinds of shirts/messages you are using have their place, but I am slowly learning that with most people we get one shot (not saying God has one shot, but we have one opportunity to plant a seed about Jesus). Being so blunt and hard (for lack of a better word) may turn a lot of people off to your message. Like Andrew introduced Simon Peter to Jesus (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%201:40-41&version=KJV) I think we should introduce the lost to Jesus. We do this with love, forbearance, and through our actions and words. I think our initial message should be one of hope, perfect love, and direction towards salvation.

Now, having said that, I MUST point out that you MUST follow the Father's direction and leading for your ministry. Perhaps God has lead you in this path exactly as you are doing (like John the Baptist proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is @ hand http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203:2&version=KJV). You must seek His will and direction for how you go about His direction for you. I hope that makes sense.

Sorry, but I have not incorporated tracts into my ministry yet. I do have "business cards" for my website that I hand out and leave in places, but I'm not consistent with that.

I know others will have words on that too.

I hope I am not discouraging, and I AM NOT meaning to sound condemning. Just giving you my thoughts.

Jim (or Beau)

[Phrankdatank9001]

Yeah, thats my name. :)

Anyway, I feel like in this day and age(I live in the Southern US, in Northwest Arkansas) there's waay too much emphasis on God's love and not enough emphasis on God's Wrath.

Chances are most of the people around me have heard the "God loves you" speel already, and are less likely to have heard the need to turn from their sins, which is why I wear the shirts that I do.

Plus, before a cure can be offered, the disease has to be diagnosed.

[WartHog]

I understsand you Frank. We must remember though it was through God's perfect grace, love, and sacrifice that we are His children. However, like I said, you have to follow the Holy Spirit as He leads you.

[Phrankdatank9001]

Do you think that the Lord could see my wearing shirts as a cop-out for not witnessing?

I use T-shirts to circumvent my aversion to coldly talking to strangers and I talked to someone at my church and they said "If they don't want to read the shirt, then that's their problem." Is that true? My theorizing behind the shirts is that it's a way to witness to people without getting yelled at.

In terms of the Parable of the Talents, I liken it to the guy who had the one talent and when the Lord rebuked that lazy servant for not doing anything with the talent entrusted into him, saying that he should have at least taken it to the bank so that the Lord could collect some interest, and then has that servant thrown into outer darkness.

I liken the shirts to taking the talent to the bank, and if anyone wants to find out more, they can approach me and ask me.

Another question: For backpacks, which is better for sticking on them? Buttons(those round things that you can stick on clothes and things) or bumper stickers?

You can probably tell that my method of witnessing is being a "Jesus Billboard", so to speak.


As for the tracts, I need to know how to go about doing that without being cited for littering or being harassed by store employees/managers.

[WartHog]

No, I don't think God would think that at all. He uses each of us in different, various ways. I do believe that if He tells us to do something specific (speak to a particular person, go visit someone, etc...) and we don't do it, then we are disobeying Him.

As far as your theory of not getting yelled @ just by wearing the shirts, allow me to turn that around a little bit. The messages on the shirts are kind of shouting and condemning to the person reading them. What I mean is this: If a non-believer reads that message, they very well may figure that you are personally condemning them. That you are judging them. The unbeliever absolutely needs to know they will perish in hell if they do not turn to Jesus. However, if that is the only message they hear, and they never get introduced to the Loving, forgiving Father, and the Lamb of God who willingly sacrificed Himself for our sins, they only get the condemnation - not the love. I hope that makes sense. Allow me this: How long have you been wearing the shirts and how many people have actually come up to you to ask you about the message?

Matthew 28:18-20 says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."

We are to make disciples of the people, not condemn them. They must know the one distinct difference between Christianity and all other religions, is the gift of God's forgiveness, through the death and resurrection of His one and only Son, Jesus. All of us are born sinful by nature and separated from God. God's forgiveness is available to all, putting to death the old sinful nature and becoming a new creature in Christ. However, we are then directed to turn away from the sin of the old life. God extends His perfect love to everyone, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and past history. With God's Redemption Plan to change each of us into the person He has created us to be, not who we think we are, we can become "Reborn."

I LOVE your enthusiasm and devotion to share the message. However, in my opinion we must share the love too.