How serious a threat do you think hyper-calvinism is to evangelism? (hyper= constant emphasis)
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Poll Results
How serious a threat do you think hyper-calvinism is to evangelism? (hyper= constant emphasis)
I have seen it kill evangelistic fervor Votes: 11
It is a threat, but I have not seen it in action Votes: 1
It is a minor threat Votes: 2
It is a threat, but should not be Votes: 3
It is not much of a threat, perhaps only in remote instances Votes: 1
People say it is a threat, but I’ve not seen that Votes: 5
It is not a threat Votes: 1
No way is it a threat; the idea that hyper-calvinimsm squelches witnessing is a myth Votes: 2
unsure Votes: 0
other Votes: 4
- 52 views
I see more lasting fruit in my witnessing, now that I understand election.
I used to force a “sinners prayer” on everyone I could, and then wonder why it never stuck.
Now I try to present a clearer gospel and worry less about them rejecting it.
Maybe I’m sowing a “better seed” now???
I used to force a “sinners prayer” on everyone I could, and then wonder why it never stuck.
Now I try to present a clearer gospel and worry less about them rejecting it.
Maybe I’m sowing a “better seed” now???
[Pastor Harold] I see more lasting fruit in my witnessing, now that I understand election.My experience as well!
I used to force a “sinners prayer” on everyone I could, and then wonder why it never stuck.
Now I try to present a clearer gospel and worry less about them rejecting it.
Maybe I’m sowing a “better seed” now???
Planting and watering and allowing God (in the person of the Holy Spirit) to secure the increase 1 Cor. 3:6-7.
CanJAmerican - my blog
CanJAmerican - my twitter
whitejumaycan - my youtube
[dan] When presenting the gospel to an unsaved person:1. No. I tell them that God commands all men everywhere to repent.If not, why not?
- Do you tell them Christ died for the elect, but no one else?
Do you tell them that they might be one of the people Christ died for, but they might not be?
Do you tell them that they will not believe unless they are a member of the elect?
2. No. If they repent that is proof that Christ died for them.
3. No. If they believe that is proof that they are a member of the elect.
CanJAmerican - my blog
CanJAmerican - my twitter
whitejumaycan - my youtube
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)
- Introduces the subject of sin. I often quote Romans’ passages on sin.
- Introduces the Lordship of Jesus … “Christ” … and
- His mission = “Jesus” / name means “He will save His people from their sins”
We have gotten all over the place over my friend, Norman Clature (nomenclature). Technically my definition of hyper-calvinism is not the accepted theological one. Still, I have defined what I meant. I am not talking about 5 point Calvinism, but even a 4 point Calvinism that is constantly reiterated and brought to bear. We all know people who are “election” specialists, just as we know prophecy buffs.
My issue is not with the content we use to witness to people, my question relates to the intensity of the desire to witness and the intentionality of witnessing. My issue is not about what should be, but what is.
I hope this clarifies matters.
My issue is not with the content we use to witness to people, my question relates to the intensity of the desire to witness and the intentionality of witnessing. My issue is not about what should be, but what is.
I hope this clarifies matters.
"The Midrash Detective"
What I have seen in my own life — and in the lives of so many in our region — is this:
A lost person (like me in 1974) was reached with the Gospel by someone who does not believe in election (maybe never even heard of it).
I grew in the Lord and witnessed with zeal.
As I grew, I came to understand the doctrine of election.
I still witness, but I look more for opportunities than try to make them.
Even if election (understood in a Calvinistic way) does damped evangelistic zeal, I believe it is what the Bible teaches and take my stand there. Yet it can also transform zeal.
Anyone experience some of the above or see it in action?
I’ve been following this poll and the subsequent comments. My religious experience has run the spectrum of this pole from end to end. I was raised in a religious setting where humans held the magical word keys to not only evangelism, but their own salvation as well. In sharing the “gospel”, I was zealous under this setting.
Then in early(ier) adulthood, I was saved under a ministry where truth was taught deeply, yet in a non-confrontational fashion, for the most part. I won’t use my word count on how this was achieved. Suffice it to say, I remember the day, for the first time, I hungered to hear more of the bible instead of my own opinions. I was more relaxed in how I shared what I knew about Christ, but not confident like I was before.
Then in later (early—smile) adulthood, we were brought to what would be considered a church with Calvinistic beliefs—we’ve even been told “hyper”, but I won’t go there—but for the first time I was more confident I understood the truth of Scripture, but shared less for a variety of reasons.
As I’ve thought about this over the years while attending this church, I find the easy go-to is to blame shift everything on the doctrinal teaching and knowledge that Calvinism dampens evangelism efforts, zeal and results. It may be true for some, but mostly in my case, I found my understanding from Scripture, of who I was, relative to Who God is, is now appropriately disproportionate. I am no longer confidently magical, I am now small and insignificant.
The kind of sower I hopefully am growing into is one of strong faith in an eternal God and not my methodology. I am now a person who wants to share more about this glorious God I know and less about how someone can become saved—right, wrong or otherwise. I hope I have become a person who, like Ed said, “seeks more opportunities, than tries to make them” (although with the disclaimer that I may be misusing this quote by Ed just to try and fit it into what I’m trying to say) which I believe is much like the faithful, constant sower of Mark 4. For me, I hopefully accomplish this by speaking more about “this is what I was and this is what God did by His grace, mercy and love.” I hope I have become more like the sower in Mark 4 who casts and then goes to sleep and has no idea why such and such person suddenly wants to know more about this God Whom I have been talking about lately, but since the opportunity is there, I pursue it immediately. It is less about a one-time chance and more about my every day, faithful speech patterns.
I realize, though, I need to be sharpened in this area. In doing this, I have easily become slack and often times have been less engaged about truly seeking opportunities and more engaged in people pleasing. I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit over the past year and this post comes in a timely fashion where I’ve been convicted of my sin.
So all this to say, thank you, Ed, for outing me (you actually do that more than you know, by God’s grace.) This poll has helped me think and pursue more about what Scripture says is a healthy, growing Christian.
Mark 4:26-29 (NASB)
26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately [a] (A)puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Blessings,
Kim :)
A lost person (like me in 1974) was reached with the Gospel by someone who does not believe in election (maybe never even heard of it).
I grew in the Lord and witnessed with zeal.
As I grew, I came to understand the doctrine of election.
I still witness, but I look more for opportunities than try to make them.
Even if election (understood in a Calvinistic way) does damped evangelistic zeal, I believe it is what the Bible teaches and take my stand there. Yet it can also transform zeal.
Anyone experience some of the above or see it in action?
I’ve been following this poll and the subsequent comments. My religious experience has run the spectrum of this pole from end to end. I was raised in a religious setting where humans held the magical word keys to not only evangelism, but their own salvation as well. In sharing the “gospel”, I was zealous under this setting.
Then in early(ier) adulthood, I was saved under a ministry where truth was taught deeply, yet in a non-confrontational fashion, for the most part. I won’t use my word count on how this was achieved. Suffice it to say, I remember the day, for the first time, I hungered to hear more of the bible instead of my own opinions. I was more relaxed in how I shared what I knew about Christ, but not confident like I was before.
Then in later (early—smile) adulthood, we were brought to what would be considered a church with Calvinistic beliefs—we’ve even been told “hyper”, but I won’t go there—but for the first time I was more confident I understood the truth of Scripture, but shared less for a variety of reasons.
As I’ve thought about this over the years while attending this church, I find the easy go-to is to blame shift everything on the doctrinal teaching and knowledge that Calvinism dampens evangelism efforts, zeal and results. It may be true for some, but mostly in my case, I found my understanding from Scripture, of who I was, relative to Who God is, is now appropriately disproportionate. I am no longer confidently magical, I am now small and insignificant.
The kind of sower I hopefully am growing into is one of strong faith in an eternal God and not my methodology. I am now a person who wants to share more about this glorious God I know and less about how someone can become saved—right, wrong or otherwise. I hope I have become a person who, like Ed said, “seeks more opportunities, than tries to make them” (although with the disclaimer that I may be misusing this quote by Ed just to try and fit it into what I’m trying to say) which I believe is much like the faithful, constant sower of Mark 4. For me, I hopefully accomplish this by speaking more about “this is what I was and this is what God did by His grace, mercy and love.” I hope I have become more like the sower in Mark 4 who casts and then goes to sleep and has no idea why such and such person suddenly wants to know more about this God Whom I have been talking about lately, but since the opportunity is there, I pursue it immediately. It is less about a one-time chance and more about my every day, faithful speech patterns.
I realize, though, I need to be sharpened in this area. In doing this, I have easily become slack and often times have been less engaged about truly seeking opportunities and more engaged in people pleasing. I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit over the past year and this post comes in a timely fashion where I’ve been convicted of my sin.
So all this to say, thank you, Ed, for outing me (you actually do that more than you know, by God’s grace.) This poll has helped me think and pursue more about what Scripture says is a healthy, growing Christian.
Mark 4:26-29 (NASB)
26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately [a] (A)puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Blessings,
Kim :)
Discussion