# "Planting Seeds"



## dog8food (Nov 1, 2011)

My old denomination was all for "planting seeds." My pastor would say things like "even saying 'God bless you' after a person sneezes can be effective."

I dunno, I really think it seems like a dodgy way of sharing the actual Gospel with people. I'm thinking about the evangelical techniques of the new testament, and I discern a lot of direct confrontation and stabs straight into people's consciences about sin and Christ's payment. Out of all his prayers, I don't usually see Paul praying about seed planting, but rather that the powerful message of the Gospel gets preached as often and as bravely as possible.


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## Quatchu (Nov 1, 2011)

The one true seed is the Gospel, as the church has been commissioned to preach the gospel. Does every person who hears the gospel repent and trust in Christ? No, sometimes never. But the gospel seed is planted, and it is then up to God in his sovereignty to send the Holy Spirit and water the seed of the Gospel and have it become saving faith.

"God Bless You" well what god exactly? A person can hear that and depending on who they are think of the Mormon god, or Krishna or Zeus. The true Gospel though is specific.


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## rbcbob (Nov 1, 2011)

I can appreciate coming to a more robust view of evangelism. So much in modern evangelicalism is "quick, canned, and scripted one-liners" and tends to make the presenter feel that he has done his part. However we must not confuse the special calling and gifts of apostles, pastors, and evangelists with the ordinary calling of the members of the church. No small part of the influence of the Christian witness in the world is the scattered flock through the week letting their light shine in the darkness. Such ordinary church members live their lives and interact with co-workers, students, shopkeepers, and neighbors and with their conversations sprinkled with the salt of God's revelation are used by the Spirit to draw His elect to the Son.


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## Pergamum (Nov 3, 2011)

I guess being nice to people is a good start. But I hope it doesn't end there. I also hope we are saying "God bless you" because we mean it and not merely as a ploy to start a Gospel conversation. 

Too many churches focus on "witnessing" instead of being a "witness" - yet, doing flows out of *being*. 

Also, too many churches' evangelism focuses on strangers and cold contacts instead of focusing on blessing our everyday contacts and acquaintances. If we focus primarily on trying to steer fleeting conversations with strangers towards spiritual matters, this often feels forced, ackward or artificial.


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## StrictBaptist (Nov 3, 2011)

Pergamum said:


> I guess being nice to people is a good start. But I hope it doesn't end there. I also hope we are saying "God bless you" because we mean it and not merely as a ploy to start a Gospel conversation.
> 
> Too many churches focus on "witnessing" instead of being a "witness" - yet, doing flows out of *being*.
> 
> Also, too many churches' evangelism focuses on strangers and cold contacts instead of focusing on blessing our everyday contacts and acquaintances. If we focus primarily on trying to steer fleeting conversations with strangers towards spiritual matters, this often feels forced, ackward or artificial.



Amen, could not have said it better myself Brother


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## elnwood (Nov 4, 2011)

dog8food said:


> I'm thinking about the evangelical techniques of the new testament, and I discern a lot of direct confrontation and stabs straight into people's consciences about sin and Christ's payment.



Really? Where in the NT?

I don't see any "You're a sinner separated from God, but Jesus paid for your sins" used in evangelism in the Gospels or Acts (though this is true), but more "Believe on Christ who was raised from the dead."

I do discuss sin and Christ's payment when I evangelize and use direct confrontation, but I'm not sure I would call it an evangelical technique of the NT.


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## steadfast7 (Nov 4, 2011)

One thing you won't find in the preaching of the gospel in Acts is "Jesus loves you."


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## Zach (Nov 4, 2011)

I think the best way to present the gospel to the lost is through, like Perg said, genuinely loving and caring for and about them as people made in the image of God. Too often I will catch myself, even with dear unbelieving friends, making them more of a target for evangelism than a friend I care about. They will see right through that and my witness becomes incredibly ineffective.


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## Herald (Nov 4, 2011)

rbcbob said:


> I can appreciate coming to a more robust view of evangelism. So much in modern evangelicalism is "quick, canned, and scripted one-liners" and tends to make the presenter feel that he has done his part. However we must not confuse the special calling and gifts of apostles, pastors, and evangelists with the ordinary calling of the members of the church. No small part of the influence of the Christian witness in the world is the scattered flock through the week letting their light shine in the darkness. Such ordinary church members live their lives and interact with co-workers, students, shopkeepers, and neighbors and with their conversations sprinkled with the salt of God's revelation are used by the Spirit to draw His elect to the Son.



Amen. 

sent from my most excellent Motorola Atrix.


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## dog8food (Nov 4, 2011)

elnwood said:


> dog8food said:
> 
> 
> > I'm thinking about the evangelical techniques of the new testament, and I discern a lot of direct confrontation and stabs straight into people's consciences about sin and Christ's payment.
> ...


See Peter's sermon at Pentacost, Stephen's speech, Philip's conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch, Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, converting the Philippian jailer, in Areopagus.


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## MarieP (Nov 4, 2011)

dog8food said:


> My pastor would say things like "even saying 'God bless you' after a person sneezes can be effective."



My own pastor made the point that saying "God bless you" might actually be a form of misusing God's name. Is it something we just say out of habit (it began because of a silly superstition in the first place), or do we really mean "God bless you"...and do our hearers know we mean that? I mean, all they did was sneeze, it's not like they have a deadly disease!


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## Pergamum (Nov 4, 2011)

MarieP:

Yes, when I was a teenager I was highly turned off to Christianity by those that often used religious language in this manner, every other phrase being a "praise God" this or a "praise God" that.....even when stubbing their toe! Another would yell "God bless you" after every single sneeze, even if you sneezed 5 times in a row....almost seeming to be superstitious.


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