Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels . . . ." (Matthew 25:41)
How do you react to the title of this column? Are you offended, shocked? Don't we strive to avoid saying these three words? From the mouth of a [mere] human being, they are profane, blasphemous speech. There is one person, however, who has both the authority and power to pronounce this judgment on a man or woman.
Jesus Christ claimed this right when He spoke to the disciples about the fate of the unsaved on Judgment Day. He said they will be sent "into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Jesus, the King of kings, will one day justly and authoritatively proclaim, "Go to hell," to those who have rejected Him as Lord and Savior.
We, on the other hand, may commit sin by expressing this condemnation indirectly - as when we fail to show interest in the eternal destiny of those whom God places in our paths. If we are unconcerned about their salvation, are we not saying by our silence, "Go to hell"? Why, when we know the way to heaven, don't we seek every possible opportunity to proclaim this "good news" to others?
Nine years ago, while attending a week of refresher classes, I struck up a relationship with a Marine captain sitting next to me. Our friendship grew, and I sensed by the end of the week that I should share the Gospel with Steve. I hesitated, and failed to tell Steve about Christ's sacrifice for him. My silence really communicated, "Steve, go to hell." About two weeks later, Steve lost his life in a helicopter collision over the Arizona desert. I grieved over Steve's death and my own impotence as an ambassador for Christ. I reconsidered my view of hell, my compassion for the lost, my approach to praying for the lost, and my readiness to present the Gospel. Think about the "Steves" in your life, as you consider these four questions:
First - Do you appreciate the horrors of hell? Have you forgotten the dreadful description of it in Scripture - the weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the everlasting torment. This is the place where God is present (Psalm 139:7,8), not in love and mercy, but in wrath and judgment. Is this a place you are willing for your friends and neighbors to go without so much as a warning from us?
Second - Do you have a burden for the lost? While attending the 1995 Army/Navy football game, I noticed that during the fourth quarter my wife, Misti, had tears running down her cheeks. Knowing Misti couldn't be that distraught over the game, I asked her why she was crying. She responded that as she looked at the thousands of midshipmen and cadets, she was grieving over how many were destined for hell. She had "great sorrow and continual grief" for the lost.
Third - Are you praying for boldness? It is fascinating that one of the Apostle Paul's primary prayer requests was for his own boldness in presenting the Gospel. He often risked his life to speak of Christ, but still considered it essential to have others praying for him to act boldly. We need to pray and to have others praying that we would witness boldly to the world.
Finally - Are you ready and able to articulate the Gospel? In 1 Peter 3:15, we are commanded to be ready to share the reason for our hope. We must know the Gospel as it is presented, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15: (1) Christ died for our sins; (2) He was buried; (3) He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and (4) He was seen by many after His resurrection. This Gospel must be so ingrained in our hearts and minds that we are ready to proclaim it at any time.
Our responsibility is not to make Christians - only the Holy Spirit can accomplish that. Our task is to be ready, available, loving and faithful. We are to be "ambassadors for Christ." The next time God places someone in your path who needs to hear the Gospel, may you say with great boldness, "Go to HEAVEN, and let me share with you how!"
Lieutenant Colonel Art Athens
Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in the Bible combined. This statement on hell from Charles Spurgeon is one of the most powerful statements I've ever read on hell. Jesus is King! Even of and in hell! He's King of hell; He's King in hell; He's King over hell! And He's the only King Who saves from hell! That's my King! Do you know Him?! Spurgeon said:
It is the iron crown of hell, for Christ reigneth there supreme. Not only in the dazzling brightness of heaven, but in the black impenetrable darkness of hell is his omnipotence felt, and his sovereignty acknowledged; the chains which bind damned spirits are the chains of his strength; the fires which burn are the fires of his vengeance; the burning rays that scorch through their eyeballs, and melt their very heart, are flashed from his vindictive eye. There is no power in hell besides his. The very devils know his might. He chaineth the great dragon. If he give him a temporary liberty, yet is the chain in his hand, and he can draw him back lest he go beyond his limit. Hell trembles at him. The very howlings of lost spirits are but deep bass notes of his praise. While in heaven the glorious notes shout forth his goodness; in hell the deep growlings resound his justice, and his certain victory over all his foes. Thus his empire is higher than the highest heaven, and deeper than the lowest hell.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO BE SAVED FROM HELL THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST:
To learn more about the great and true Triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.
Announcing the birth of Jesus Christ, God's Word says:
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Notice Jesus was laid in a manger. Most popular depictions of the nativity scene portray Jesus lying in a wooden feeding trough. But this is not accurate. It would have been a stone trough like the one pictured above.
Wayne Stiles writes:
Thanks to Christmas cards and holiday movies, we usually think of Christ's manger as a wooden crib with straw. But it wasn't so. Mangers were carved from stone, like the one above. Archaeologists have found mangers at a number of sites in Israel, such as Megiddo, Tekoa, and Ramat Rahel.
This is amazing! At His birth, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, was wrapped in linen swaddling cloths, and laid in a stone manger where (probably) no one had ever been laid (Luke 2:7). At His death, Jesus was buried in a borrowed stone tomb, wrapped in linen cloths, and laid on a stone slab where no one had ever been laid (Luke 23:53).
How appropriate that the great Messiah and King of kings and LORD of lords, the One Who provides eternal living water (John 4:14) and spiritual food (John 6:35), was laid as a baby in a watering trough - in a feeding trough.
Sinclair Ferguson says that Jesus was laid in a feeding trough because He came to feed the spiritually hungry with good things (Luke 1:53).
From the very beginning, the events of the life of Jesus Christ point to and foreshadow the most important part of His life: His sacrificial death for sinners where He suffered the wrath of God to make atonement for their sins and His resurrection from the dead where He conquered sin, death, and hell forever!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
There is a purity we will all need on the last day, the day of judgement. And thankfully it is free and available to every nation, tribe, people, language, and ethnicity through the perfectly obedient life of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and through His death on the cross for sinners, and through His resurrection from the dead. You must turn from your sins and believe in Him in order to be freely given this purity by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Bible alone - all for the glory of God alone!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved! Acts 16:31
If you repent and believe in Him, this purity will be yours:
Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. Daniel 12:10
Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Revelation 3:4-5
They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Revelation 6:10-11
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:13-14
No sort of defense is needed for preaching out of doors; but it would need very potent arguments to prove that a man had done his duty who has never preached beyond the walls of his meeting-house. Charles Spurgeon
I recently read two different articles that either strongly condemn or seriously question street preaching as a valid, wise, and Biblical method of evangelism. "Is Street Preaching Biblical?" by Conforming To Jesus Ministry (here after referred to as CTJM) strongly condemns the practice, and "Reconsidering Street Preaching" by Tim Gough seriously questions the practice. This article is a response to them.
First, let me say this: it saddens me when Christians argue against and belittle methods of evangelism that faithful, Christ-loving, Biblical Christians use to faithfully proclaim the true Gospel according to the Bible (for the true Gospel, also see For Your Joy, Christianity Explored, and Two Ways To Live).
The glorious message of Jesus Christ, Him crucified, and risen from the dead is to be passed on, proclaimed, and shared in manifold ways: parents discipling children evangelism, sharing one on on with friends and family and people on airplanes evangelism, personal conversation evangelism, small group evangelism, Gospel tract distribution evangelism, Sunday school and church evangelism, lifestyle evangelism, door-to-door evangelism, hospitality evangelism, making disciples who make disciples evangelism, large event evangelism, missions evangelism, YouTube and social media evangelism, apologetics evangelism, life on life evangelism, campus ministry evangelism, other forms of evangelism that share the true, Biblical Gospel - and yes street preaching evangelism! Do it all! Do it all well! And do it all Biblically for the glory of King Jesus!
I found at least 7 major objections in these articles (and another common objection I hear) that I seek to answer here:
1. You shouldn't street preach today because street preachers are angry, condemn people to hell, insult people, call people names, offend people, and bother people
The person who wrote the CTJM article seems to have had a really bad experience with street preachers. I'm so sorry! There are street preachers who do it the wrong way. Just like there are people who do all those other methods of evangelism I mentioned above the wrong way. But that is not a valid reason to stop using those methods. We should not preach the Gospel in anger (though at times it is right and good to be angry over sin), but in humility and love. We should not merely condemn sinners to hell, but warn them about their sin and hell and call them to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ through which they can be saved. We should never insult people, call people names, or purposely offend people. The only offense people should take is from our pointing them to the truth. And that will offend people and bother people. If we faithfully and lovingly point out people's sin, their false beliefs, and tell them that Jesus Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection is their only hope, they will get offended and be bothered. But it's our message that offends, not our method, manner, or behavior.
So, yes, please don't street preach the wrong way. Do it Biblically for the glory of King Jesus!
2. You shouldn't street preach today because street preachers don't call people to repent of sin
We must call people to repent of sin and lift up the glorious, beautiful, all mighty, all powerful, all loving Sin Bearer - the LORD Jesus Christ! It's very easy to show something is unbiblical if, from the beginning, you define it in an unbiblical way. The CTJM article only gives two examples of street preaching, and I would agree with them: both of these ways of street preaching are unbiblical and unhelpful. Here are the two definitions given:
The typical scenario of street evangelism is the angry preacher standing on a street corner, yelling at strangers, holding a Bible and using Scripture to call them sinners and assigning them to hell . . . Those Christians who feel that this is wrong use the opposite method when street preaching; they use the "love" approach of street evangelism. They will generally attract people by showing extreme kindness and joy, while playing loud Christian music or singing Christian songs themselves; often a group of energetic, beaming with excitement youngsters who lead people to Christ by telling them how much Jesus loves them and wants them saved, hardly ever mentioning the word sin.
Sadly, it's true that people who street preach may fall into one of these two distortions of what God actually calls us to do. But just because people do street preaching in a wrong, unbiblical way doesn't mean it can't be done the right way.
My friend, Evangelist Robert Gray, taught me to do it the right way. He told me to go to the same place, at the same time, every week, rain or shine. Preach, not in anger, but with love, joy, and delight in Jesus Christ and the saving Gospel message. Don't call people names and assign people to hell, but warn them of the wrath to come. Sin must be mentioned, and we call people to repent of sin and turn to Christ. We must preach the Bible, and we must preach the Gospel in a faithful, biblical, winsome way.
The author of this article seems to have only seen street preaching done in a bad way. There is a third alternative: preaching in the open air the way it was done from Noah, to Jonah, to Jesus, to Peter, to Paul, and the way numerous other saints throughout church history have done so according to God's Word.
3. You shouldn't street preach today because in the Bible, street preaching was almost always done to God's people who knew God and believed in God
Thankfully, these articles do acknowledge that God sent prophets and apostles to preach in the open air to sinners who needed to repent. But the articles dismiss these examples as evidence that we should street preach today because street preachers today are not preaching to God's people in the streets, but to pagans who don't want to hear the message. Whereas, in is argued, the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles were preaching to God's people who knew God and wanted to hear God's message.
In The Street Preachers' Manual, Pastor Gerald Sutek writes:
When you consider that virtually every Bible preacher from Noah to John was a Street preacher, and that more than 90 percent of all sermons preached in both Old and New Testaments were preached in a public forum, you wonder why anyone would discourage public evangelism, and why preachers, pastors, and others do not attempt to employ this undoubtedly Biblical method of gospel evangelism.
The clear command of the public communication of the Lord's message was given to Jeremiah (Jer. 11:6), to Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:1-7; chapters 3 and 33), to Isaiah (Isa. 58), to Jonah, to Noah, to Peter and the other disciples (Mark 16:15), to Paul (Acts 9:15; 23:11), and finally passed to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:2) as an example for the New Testament ministry. Add to this the examples of Ezra (Ezra 10:9-11; Neh. 8:1-5), Stephen, and of Jesus Himself, who was first and foremost a street preacher, and you have received more than sufficient mandate from the Lord to motivate any "God-called" preacher to "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet" - publicly.
This kind of evidence of street preaching from the Old and New Testament is dismissed by these articles by saying that all of these examples are of God's prophets or apostles going to God's people to call them back to God. It is claimed this is not what is happening in street preaching today. There are two major errors in this argument: 1. When we street preach today, we ARE preaching to God's people; 2. Israel was not God's people (in a sense), and they didn't know God.
When We Are Street Preaching Today, We Are Preaching To God's People
Where we street preach today in the United States (Philadelphia for me), there are numerous genuine born-again Christians who hear us and rejoice in our message! They rejoice in the Gospel! They are encouraged by the preaching of the Gospel! They delight in being reminded that there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains! They stop and tell us so! They thank us. They even give us money. We were street preaching just yesterday and a couple from Saint Vincent expressed their thanks for and delight in the message of God. Oh friends, we are preaching to the people of God when we street preach! And we call them to share the Gospel as well and to live faithfully for Christ. We were able to encourage one saint we met while street preaching at Broad and Olney to watch the superb Gospel documentary - American Gospel: Christ Alone. He was so excited about it that he shared it with his girlfriend, and we made a video explaining to others the importance of the Biblical Gospel.
Israel Was Not God's People (In A Sense), And They Didn't Know God
Also, where we street preach today, there are numerous people walking by and waiting to get on the buses who would consider themselves God's people but are not God's people (sounds like ancient Israel to me!)! They have the sign of the covenant - baptism. They are members of churches. They would consider themselves Christians. But they are either living in rebellion against God, not following Him faithfully, or they are in terrible churches, many of which teach the false health, wealth, and prosperity false gospel! Sadly, many people in churches in the United States don't even rightly understand the Biblical Gospel.
Like many of those to whom we preach, Israel was mostly unconverted! Praise God there was always a remnant, but most of the circumcised, Old Covenant people are of God are in hell today. God's Word teaches us that Israel fell into such wicked sin that they were even worse than the sinful nations around them:
But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. 2 Kings 21:9
Israel was so wicked, they even became known as not the people of God!
And the LORD said, "Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God." Hosea 1:9
It was to this, "Not My People" to whom Jeremiah street preached!
Many people, Jesus said, will call Him "Lord, Lord!" and will even claim to have done miracles in His name, yet they will end up in hell (Matthew 7:21-23). We preach to those people at Broad and Olney on the street corner! They, like ancient Israel, think they are God's people because they prayed a prayer, walked an isle, got baptized, are members of churches, or planted that seed money and tithed this or that. But, like ancient Israel, they think they know God, but are deceived. Street preachers preach to those people!
So, no, you can't simply dismiss all the Old Testament and New Testament examples like these articles and make the kind of street preaching we do today non existent in the Bible. You must rightly divide the Word! And when you do, you see that street preaching is just as Biblical, relevant, and needed today as it was in ancient Israel and in the times of the New Testament. Faithful Israelites needed to hear God's Word. Deceived, unconverted, rebellious Israelites (like the Pharisees) needed to hear God's Word. And pagans who were among Israel needed to hear God's Word. In fact, everyone needs to hear God's Word.
4. You shouldn't street preach today because street preaching in the Bible was done around people who wanted to hear the message
This one is sort of funny. Tell that to the prophets and Peter and Paul and Jesus. Yes, there are numerous examples of places in Scripture where people did want to hear and learn and understand what God's messengers were telling them. But, there are also numerous examples of preachers preaching God's message to hostile crowds who then did very bad things to them - like stone them and drag them outside the city (Acts 14:19)!
Remember Jesus' Words:
Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute," so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Luke 11:47-51
Let's just look at one prophet's life who was called to preach to a sinful, rebellious, not-my-people:
You shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you. Jeremiah 7:27
This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. Jeremiah 13:10
Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction. Jeremiah 17:23
But they say, "That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart." Jeremiah 18:12
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words." Jeremiah 19:15
These people did not want to hear what they so desperately needed to hear. But God called Jeremiah to preach to them anyway. Examples could be multiplied in both Old and New Testaments of those who were sent by God to preach to a people who didn't want to hear.
Cowardice on the part of Christians may be a large reason why the Muslim world remains so unreached - they don't want to hear, so we don't go! But we don't go to people with the message of Christ simply because they want to hear it! We go for God's glory, because we trust and love Him, because we love sinners, and because God commands us to go! We don't street preach today because people always want to hear what we have to say. We do it because God commands us to trust and love Him enough and love others enough to tell them hard truths that they need to hear so that they might be saved.
Yes, we must use wisdom. There may be missionary contexts in the Muslim world where it would be unwise and unhelpful to use street preaching as a method of evangelism. But that doesn't mean it's always an unwise method in every context. Even in the United States, you must choose the right place to street preach. We preach at Broad and Olney because there are large crowds, people are not forced to listen against their will (even people waiting for a bus could walk away or put their earbuds in), and different groups disperse all kinds of different information and advertise there. Pastor Bill Welzien, an OPC minister in Key West, FL, is a great example of how to use wisdom when street preaching to reach your hearers.
5. You shouldn't street preach today because street preaching in the Bible was done in such a way that the preachers did not disobey the authorities and they avoided persecution
First, Jesus' followers were willing to disobey authorities in order to preach Jesus Christ:
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."
Acts 5:27-29
Second, it is very clear that God's messengers were and are persecuted for preaching the truth. The author of the CTJM article seems to contradict him/herself by writing:
It is true that Paul was persecuted by some Jews and Gentiles and sometimes by local authorities, but not because he preached in a way that was considered culturally, socially or legally unacceptable, but simply because the people did not want to receive the New Testament Message of Jesus that he preached and that very message made them angry . . . Preaching in an environment where people are clearly hostile to God or to the Message of the Bible is unbiblical. There is no biblical evidence or precedent of anybody ever doing this in the Old or New Testament.
Which is it? The article states that Paul was persecuted, not for his method or manner, but for his message. But then it states preaching should never be done where people are hostile to God or to the message of the Bible. This is a contradiction. Sinners and deceived religious people will always be hostile to God and His message. They can't help but be hostile to God and His message because they are enemies of God, dead in sin, and evil to the core of their being. The Bible is full of examples of God's people being persecuted by such people because of their message. Faithful street preachers today will also be persecuted, not for their method or manner, but because of the message of the Gospel.
6. You shouldn't street preach today because street preachers preach from wrong motives, they aren't under the authority of sound churches, and they are not local to the place they are preaching
Motives: It's true, we can do all kinds of Christian ministry from wrong motives. But that doesn't mean the method is wrong. We should repent of wrong motives and preach the Gospel from a heart that desires to see God glorified, Christ-exalted, the true Gospel go forth in power, souls saved, believers built up and encouraged, the Church strengthened, and lives transformed!
Furthermore, though we should care deeply about our motives for ministry, Paul and the Holy Spirit cared much more about the faithfulness of the message preached than they did about the motives or method of the preacher:
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Philippians 1:14-18
It really doesn't sound like either Paul or the Holy Spirit are as concerned with the methods of evangelism like these two articles are - as long as in every way Christ is proclaimed! Amen!
Local Churches: Street preachers who are not members of faithful, Bible teaching local churches are in sin and should repent. They should be under the authority of Biblically qualified elders in healthy local churches that teach the Bible and Gospel accurately.
Local Preachers: I am thankful that I can street preach every week one mile from where our church meets. I love street preaching in my neighborhood. But different Christians have different callings. I'm also thankful for Evangelist Joseph Toy who preaches all over the city and country and also helps me almost every Thursday afternoon preach in the Olney neighborhood. May the Gospel be preached and spread to all the ends of the earth!
7. You shouldn't street preach today because street preaching doesn't work - it's ineffective
Faithful street preachers who preach the true, Biblical Gospel are always effective. 100% of the time. Without question or debate. Period. Why? Because God is always glorified when His Word and Gospel are faithfully preached. And God getting the glory is the most important, most central goal of any evangelistic endeavor. If you don't understand this, listen to the sermon "Ten Shekels And A Shirt" or the sermon "Is God For Us Or For Himself?"
Faithful street preaching is always effective because God promises to send His Word out, and it will not return void but accomplish all that He pleases:
. . . so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
Faithful street preaching is always effective because God will either save sinners through it or harden sinners and store up wrath for them through it:
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Faithful street preachers are always effective because the blood of those to whom we preach and warn will not be on our hands:
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. Ezekiel 33:6-7
I don't want to be a pragmatist. I don't want to do things in my Christian life merely because they work. I want to do them because God commands them. God commands us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, so we go.
The founding executive director of 9 Marks Ministries was saved through a street preacher. Matt Schmucker writes:
I was converted during my senior year at the University of Maryland through hearing an open-air preacher after listening to him for three years.
Notice it took three years! We have to be in ministry for the long haul! Keep preaching friends!
Faithful pastor and author Dave Harvey was converted through the help of street preaching. He writes:
While the day and hour of my conversion is unknown to me, the gospel proclamation of an open-air preacher, the witness of Christian friends, and the life of a Christian community all played prominent roles in my story.
Before his conversion, two faithful street evangelists confronted Pastor Kempton Turner right in the middle of the darkness and utter rebellion of Mardi Gras (remember this is where street preachers shouldn't go according to the CTJM article!), and even with alcohol on his breath they told him: "You need to repent and trust in Christ!" This encounter helped finally lead him to faith in Jesus Christ and changed his life forever! Now he is a pastor, shepherding and bringing many more to Jesus!
One Christian named Fred testifies to being saved through the street preaching of a college campus preacher:
When you came to our campus I noticed a large crowd screaming and decided to see what the commotion was all about. After hearing the message that God was giving through Brother John I came under great conviction and God revealed to me the lukewarm way in which I was going about my Christian life. I soon became part of a great Bible study on campus and have died to sin so that I may live through Christ for the Glory of God!!! Thank Brother John for your rebuke of my sinful ways and praise be to God that I now live through Christ.
Evangelist Robert Gray preached the Gospel on the streets of Ottawa and a man repented right there on the street, just weeks before he died - which is exactly what Robert warned him about.
I have personally baptized hundreds and started five churches through open-air preaching, in tandem with one-on-one evangelism.
A faithful Christian lady coming to our church recently shared that God has given her numerous opportunities to share the Gospel with women in the ladies' bathroom. With joy I called it bathroom evangelism! I remember in college we would leave Gospel tracts in the toilet stalls. Then I saw this testimony from Ryan Denton:
I was recently told about a man who found a gospel tract while in a public restroom. He began to read. Suddenly it all clicked. He went in a child of wrath. Came out a child of God. Sow widely.
Praise God! He uses the Gospel written down to save sinners! The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, no matter what medium it is delivered in! This is an excellent message on how God uses Christian literature, like Gospel tracts, to save sinners: Words for the World: Rejoicing in God’s Global Use of Christian Literature
God has used John Barros to save hundreds of babies from being slaughtered by abortion through the preaching of God's Word outside an abortion mill in Orlando, FL.
What The Bible Actually Teaches About Street Preaching
There are numerous faithful examples in the Bible of street preaching done as we know it today and God commands us to preach the Gospel to all creation!
Enoch
Jude, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes:
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Jude 1:14-15
We are at full liberty to believe that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, when he prophesied, asked for no better pulpit than a hillside, and that Noah, as a preacher of righteousness, was willing to reason with his contemporaries in the shipyard wherein his marvelous ark was built. (Lectures To My Students, 273)
Noah
Some wrongly dismiss Noah as an example of an open air preacher because the narrative in Genesis never tells us that he preached, only that he built an ark. But God's perfect, inerrant, infallible Word tells us Noah was a preacher! Noah is called a preacher of righteousness:
. . . if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald [kerux] of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly . . . . 2 Peter 2:5
Noah was not preaching to the people of God. He was preaching to wicked, rebellious sinners who desperately needed to hear the message: repent or perish. And Jesus describes our days as just like the days of Noah:
As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
Our LORD, Master, Commander, and King has told us that we are living in days like the days of Noah. Noah preached to pagans to repent and flee for safety from the wrath of God. But One greater than the ark is here. Jesus is our Ark Who delivers from the wrath to come through His life, death, burial, and resurrection! Like Noah, we must herald this message today before it's too late.
Jonah
Jonah clearly preached in the streets of the city of Nineveh to a pagan, godless city:
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you." So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God.
Jonah 3:1-5
This is a clear example in Scripture of God sending His spokesman to a pagan, unbelieving city to cry out to them to repent and turn to God. This example cannot be dismissed by saying: "Well, this doesn't count because the whole city repented!" No! This is what street preachers long for! We long for revival to break out through the power of the Holy Spirit, accompanying God's Word with power and saving multitudes of sinners! May God save the whole city of Philadelphia through the preaching of street preachers like He saved Nineveh of old!
Jeremiah
God called Jeremiah and other prophets to preach in the streets to God's wayward, rebellious people:
And the LORD said to me, "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice." Jeremiah 11:6-7
Ryan Denton and Scott Smith comment:
Jeremiah heralded the words of God in the valley of Hinnom . . . Note that many of these prophets, especially Jeremiah, preached without the authority of the priests. Jeremiah was struck by one of the priests because of his message and even thrown into prison and a well. Although we believe that preachers should be sent out and held accountable by their local church, it is crucial to see that in an era when open air preaching was scorned by most of the Israelite community, Jeremiah and the other prophets not only continued to preach but had a command from God to do so . . . The places where the prophets preached would have been thronging with people. Their messages were unsavory to most, even though the people were "religious." (A Certain Sound: A Primer On Open Air Preaching, 10-11)
John The Baptist
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:1
Jesus
Yes, Jesus discipled twelve men. And yes He had one on one conversations. And yes he taught small groups of people. And yes He had dialogues with people. But he also preached! Preaching is not conversation. Preaching is not Q and A. Preaching is announcing good news! John Piper writes:
The fact that in the New Testament, "preaching" translates mainly kēryssō and euangelizomai suggests that preaching is a peculiar form of speech that derives its character, at least partly, from these public acts of heralding. Preaching was not ordinary conversation. Nor was it identical to teaching. Both euangelizomai ("preach good news") and kēryssō ("preach" or "herald") have the quality of announcement, and since the specific Christian content of the announcement is the good news of Christ's saving work, with all its roots and branches, the announcement quality was not disapproval or indifference, but commendation and acclimation. (Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching As Worship, 54)
As Piper notes, one of the Greek words used for "preaching" is "kerysso."
About this word, Gordon Hugenberger writes:
. . . the NT uses . . . kerysso . . . to refer primarily (though not exclusively) to evangelistic activity directed to non-Christians. (Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching As Worship, 54)
And John Piper writes:
. . . yes, kerysso . . . in the New Testament refer[s] most often to public speaking to unbelievers. (Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching As Worship, 54)
Jesus came preaching. This is demonstrated in the Gospels:
From that time Jesus began to preach [kerysso], saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach [kerysso] in their cities. Matthew 11:1
In Mark, Jesus says the very purpose for which He came out was to preach:
And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach [kerysso] there also, for that is why I came out." Mark 1:38
In Luke, Jesus preached as he went through both cities and villages:
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming [kerysso] and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. Luke 8:1
Jesus' Disciples
Yes, Jesus had twelve men He poured into more than others, spending much personal time with them and instructing them privately in groups and one on one. But what did He disciple them to do? Preach!
And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach [kerysso] . . . . Mark 3:14
And what does Jesus call us, His disciples today, to do? Preach!
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim [kerysso] the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15
And He commanded us to preach [kerysso] to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed [kerysso] throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed [kerysso] in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:46-47
Peter
Peter preached the Gospel at Pentecost and 3,000 people got saved:
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them . . . So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:14, 41
Later, thousands more believed when Peter preached again:
And when Peter saw it he addressed the people . . . many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. Acts 3:12, 4:4
Philip
Philip is a clear example of a street preacher who went to Samaria (non-Jewish area) and in the city preached Jesus to crowds of people:
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed [kerysso] to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city. Acts 8:4-8
Paul
When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel . . . But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14:5-7, 19-22
Paul preached to the Gentile Corinthians:
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached [kerysso] to you . . . .
1 Corinthians 15:1
And Paul calls the Christians in Rome (and us!) to go and preach the Gospel so that sinners might be saved:
But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching [kerysso]? And how are they to preach [kerysso] unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Romans 10:14-15
Church History After New Testament Times
Ryan Denton and Scott Smith, in their excellent book, A Certain Sound: A Primer On Open Air Preaching, give a helpful summary of street preaching after the times of the New Testament:
What about examples in church history? Do we see any cessation of open air preaching as the church progresses and becomes more established? On the contrary, Spurgeon points out, "It would be very easy to prove revivals of religion have usually been accompanied, if not caused, by a considerable amount of preaching out of doors, or in unusual places." (Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students, 275). According to the church historian Eusebius, the disciples of the first apostles "everywhere prosecuted the preaching of the gospel, sowing the seeds of heavenly doctrine throughout the whole world." (Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students, 274). Michael Green says the same thing in his book, Evangelism in the Early Church: "The evidence is not as full as we should like, but there can be no doubt that this open air evangelism continued throughout the first two centuries . . . Irenaeus was accustomed to preaching in the market places not only of the city of Lugdunum but also of the market towns and villages round about. Cyprian even dared the authorities to arrest him as he preached in the market place during a period of persecution." (Michael Green, Evangelism In The Early Church, 304) . . .
Crowded markets and thoroughfares were always seen as excellent opportunities for proclaiming the gospel. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) became "a public preacher of considerable distinction" when a group of monks were thrown out of their seclusion and "into the highways and byways of public concourse." (David Larsen, The Company Of The Preachers, 111). He was one of the first monks to bring gospel preaching outside of the cloister. People were milling about the streets, so the monks began to preach.
Arnold of Brescia (1090-1155) is another example. He proclaimed the Word of God to great crowds in Brescia, eventually heading to Rome, where he "denounced papal usurpations at the very gates of the Vatican." (Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students, 275) . . .
The Protestant Reformation came about in large part through publicly preaching the gospel. Henry of Lausanne in the twelfth century is reported to have preached against transubstantiation on the streets. John Wycliffe, the "morning star" of the Reformation, was the figurehead of a group in England who regularly preached against Roman Catholicism in the open air. (James Gairdner, Lollardy And The Reformation In England: An Historical Survey, vol. 2, 47). This kind of evangelism led the way for the men we now call the Reformers. John Knox began his ministry as a bodyguard for a street preacher. When the preacher was martyred, Knox regularly preached "faith alone by grace alone in Christ alone" in the same manner as his predecessor. (Gervase N. Charmley, "John Knox, The Making Of A Reformer") . . .
Every generation of the church seems to have had men preaching in this way . . . Another revival in India came in part through the work of William Cary (Edward Glinney, ed., Missions In A New Millennium, 301). Robert Flockhart was one convert of Carey's ministry who, upon returning to Scotland, preached publicly for four decades (Robert Flockhart, The Street Preacher, 185-208). Horatius Bonar notes how God blessed these men for their outdoor preaching: "They preached and labored in season and out of season, in churches, barns, schoolhouses, streets, or highways, to deal faithfully and closely with men's consciences wherever they may happen to be brought into contact with them . . . This is to turn the world upside down, to offend every rule of good breeding, and to tear up the landmarks of civilized society . . . This has ever been one of the great secrets of success (Horatius Bonar, True Revival, 11 (emphasis added)).
In modern times, D. L. Moody, Leonard Ravenhill, Paul Washer, Albert N. Martin, Rob Ventura, and even Westminster Theological Seminary professor Cornelius Van Til were all open air preachers. Today it is possible to find people preaching openly in every major city in North America and Western Europe, and a smattering of others in South America, India, and other "hard to reach" areas. It seems conclusive to say that God has always used open air proclamation as a means for getting the gospel to the lost (Ryan Denton and Scott Smith, A Certain Sound, A Primer On Open Air Preaching, 13-17).
Below are a couple pictures of Dr. Van Til and Dr. Jack Miller (also a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary) street preaching.
People often critique street preaching by asking: "Is this really the most strategic, wisest way to do evangelism?" I'm glad you asked! Let's look at what God's wisdom says:
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?" Proverbs 1:20-22
God's Wisdom, which is ultimately Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24, Colossians 2:3) is to be preached with a loud voice in the streets and markets! You want to do evangelism with the best wisdom, which is God's wisdom? Then raise your voice in the street and preach Christ: the power and the wisdom of God!
Dick Lucas, preaching on these verses, says:
In the Old Testament the prophet and preacher did not proclaim in the Temple . . . but out in the streets and that's why significantly in church history when the church has come alive again the Word of God has gone out to the people. Now it's God's intention that His Word should not be locked in a pulpit or on a Sunday morning but should be heard just where? In the street and the marketplace and at the city gate. (Wisdom Calls).
Tremper Longman comments:
In essence, she is a street evangelist or prophet. Like an evangelist or prophet, her audience is not there to hear her. They are going about their daily activities. She has to shout in order to get their attention, and as we will see, it appears that many of her hearers are in no mood to listen, not to speak of obeying what she has to say. (Tremper Longman, Proverbs, Baker Academic, 2006, 111).
Broad and Olney, in Philadelphia, is our city gate: Over 35,000 people go through that transit center on one weekday alone! They need Christ! And though some will think our preaching is foolish, we follow Christ:
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21
We all have different callings and gifts. Some are called to one kind of faithful, Biblical method of evangelism while others are called to street preaching. And while street preaching often leads to these other forms of evangelism and discipleship, it still ought to be done. May we all be content with our own callings and do what God has called us to do in a Biblical way, with the Biblical Gospel, full of love and grace and compassion for sinners - and all for the glory of God - all for the glory of King Jesus! And may our attitude be the same as that of the Apostle Paul:
What then? Only that in every way . . . Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Philippians 1:18
By all means, let us go evangelize!
c. Defending Door-to-Door and Open Air Evangelism
d. Answering Objections To Open Air Preaching
e. Charles Spurgeon's Lectures To My Students has two lectures on open air preaching: (Lecture XVII, page 273 and Lecture XVIII, page 296)
f. Go, Stand, Speak Documentary
g. Thoughts On Street Preaching
h. Guessing And Gauging The Street Preacher
i. A Certain Sound: A Primer On Open Air Preaching
j. Amazing evangelism story during the sinking of the Titanic: "John Harper's Last Convert"
k. The best, short article I've ever read encouraging evangelism: "Go To Hell!"
l. Very helpful 9 Marks Journals on Evangelism: Evangelism Part 1; Evangelism Part 2
m. For a great explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please watch: American Gospel: Christ Alone.
n. You can watch the full version of American Gospel: Christ Alone here with a free trial.
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. Genesis 9:6
what is man that you are mindful of him, & the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings & crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep & oxen & also the beasts of the field . . . . Psalm 8:4-7
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:9-10
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. Romans 8:29
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Acts 17:26-27
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families [tribes, peoples] of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3
He who justifies the wicked & he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15
You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. Exodus 23:2-3
You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Leviticus 19:15
You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:18-20
How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:2-4
It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. Proverbs 18:5
So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Acts 10:34-35
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law & the Prophets. Matthew 7:12
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Philippians 2:1-8
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:5-10
8. Racism Is Evil Because Jesus Died For All Nations
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation . . . ." Revelation 5:9
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it . . . And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. Numbers 12:1-2, 9-10
Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:14-16
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:11
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring & fine clothing comes into your assembly, & a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, & if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing & say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves & become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith & heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, & the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin & are convicted by the law as transgressors. James 2:1-9
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth . . . . Acts 17:26
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19
O you who love the LORD, hate evil! Psalm 97:10
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2
[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
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