Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Intended Effects of the Fruits of the Spirit


What is the purpose of passing out a tract?  What is the purpose of witnessing or testifying for Christ?  Why do preachers preach?  Why do believers tell others of their salvation?  
I hear preachers commonly say “Contend with them!” referencing sinners for salvation.  Contend with the unbelievers int he streets, they say! Contending was never a reference to any saved person dealing with the lost!   
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 
Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
This is a striking verse.  The term, “the faith” is only found in the New Testament beginning in Acts 3. “The faith” was no longer being preached.  It was delivered to “the saints” which is a OT and NT reference.  God’s collective bodies, the saints and the body  of Christ, are all considered saints now.
Jude said the “common salvation”.  “The faith was reference many times to mean the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The faith IN Christ! To contend for the faith is to contend for the common salvation!  
Men were making it uncommon.  Men were apostatizing already.  Men were getting into unorthodoxy. Men were making things religious.  Preaching other gospels (Galatians 1)  Men were going back in to the Temple, men were keeping the law and the oblations.  Men were rejecting any gospel of grace.  Men were keeping to the old paths so to speak.  To do this was rejecting Jesus Christ.  To hold to the Law was to reject his payment for sins!  It was denying the Lord that bought them!

Contending for the faith is exactly what it says it is!  Contending for the faith!  It is not contending WITH sinners and sin, it is contending FOR the faith.  This is the defense of the gospel here, not our excuse to battle the dominions of Satan publickly!  
It’s about making sure the gospel is not hindered.  Keeping the traditions that Paul left us concerning the preaching of the gospel.  Making sure it remains intact, and common salvation. Being jealous over it!  
Jew and Gentile may of their own freewill, believe, and have a common salvation.  It is no longer solely belonging to the Jew.  This was so hard for Jews to grasp.  When they did, they understood that the love of God was shed abroad to all who would believe.
Contending for the faith is not street preaching, passing out tracts, public ministry or any such like thing.  Those activities or ministries are having to do with the witnessing, testifying, and preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, of his cross, of his payment. 
To proclaim anything else to heathen would be most irresponsible.  The gospel and the word has the power to do a mighty work.  However, I fear that our ministries focus more on things that cast stumbling blocks before the unbeliever.
We are to reason with sinners of common salvation as well as preach to them.  Why do our manners cause us to boldly reject the sinner and turn away from them?  Do we even consider the fact of why we our in their faces to begin with?  Our endgame is to see others saved!  Not to witness them scoff at the preached word so we can boast in how true the Bible is of sinners rejecting his words.  How oft do we relish in our conflicts and confrontations in our witness?  
If truth were told, all we do sometimes is find a sinner who is at his wits in, tired of drugs alcohol, and the affairs of this life.  Then, in our pride, and lust for another notch on our belts, we give them a worldly sorrow which worketh death.  We continue on in our act of soul winning, oblivious to the lack of the spirit working.  “We had a souls saved today?”  is usually stated in prayer letters, Church report cards, or at Church services.  These types of things are said, not so people can learn their names and attempt to exhort and edify them, meet some of their needs, and welcome them into the church.  These types of things are said to maintain the appearance of service to God. 
To lead a man to God, and then to leave him to fall among thorns is like leaving a newborn baby alone to die without her mothers milk.  Belief, then good works, not good works, and then belief.  It’s through faith and the power of the blood of Christ that  men can stand before God Almighty and live a life honoring to the Lord God.
Understanding brings Salvation. Submission to the Word brings Sanctification.  And that sanctification will produce the coveted after fruits of the Spirit.  The fruits of the Spirit will produce good works and good fruit. And these things will lead to a life of God, an abundant life, and peace and liberty.
Many times, with our ways of evangelizing, God didn’t draw them, nor did those we are compelling seek him. But many repented after worldly sorrow.  Maybe they wanted to simply change their ways.  Maybe they wanted a change of luck.    I have witnessed some that just wanted the preacher to shut up and leave!  I have witnessed this in many visitation programs, youth camps, bus ministries, and other ministries like these.  They see the obvious rejection of the bible, God and Jesus Christ.  The scoffing at the blood, and yet, the soul winner persists, all in the name of Christ?  
This is being wrongly affected by zeal.  They don’t want HIM!  By all means preach the word, and stand in defense of his name and gospel, but sinners have to choose as we did.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.  
Now, the principle that a good tree will not bring forth bad fruit is absurd and bordering on the edge of insanity.  Trees can bare good fruit and bad fruit.    Now this sounds like a contradiction doesn’t it?  We have Jesus Christ saying, in Matthew 7:18, A good tree CANNOT bring forth evil fruit.  We must understand Jesus is not referencing anything having to do with a NT Christian.  Verse 19, the very next verse talks of these trees not producing good fruit and being cast into the fire.  
Then the famed, misunderstood, judgmental verse us Baptist like to run to, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them”.  This passage along with much of Matthew has to do with a future literal kingdom where Christ will be reigning.  
It is fruits of righteousness and fruits of wickedness during the millennial reign.  If people are not producing good fruits, as in fruits of the spirit, they will physically be cast into a fire.  This is not the Christian there.
This logic we hold to to see fruit in others is full of man’s wisdom.   In the age of grace, evidence of fruit, as in souls, is not proof of ministry or justification thereof for continuance in doctrine or ordinance.  
We need to examine ourselves.  We need to maintain scriptural integrity over and above our thoughts, or logic on the matter.  If there is clear and concise evidence to go out of your way to not offend in the NT, why do we ignore it?   
If there is clear commands to follow Paul’s traditions, as Christians, what reasons do we have to not follow it?  Our lust for power maybe?  Our affection for attention and secret love of pride and being an authority on an issue?  Being something for man to see?  Great ministries to match our great temples.  For family to see?  For our love of dispensations and knowledge?  Because we know the truth and the truth has set us free?  
Why do we give the light of the glorious gospel out this way, like the preachers of old, like the old time religionist and moralist?  Or like the famed open air preachers of ages past?    The stuff that legends are made of right?.  It’s these men that we highly esteem!   This is considered an abomination according to the Lord in luke to highly esteem men! These are the men we glamorize!  We want to be like the prophets of God.  We want the power of Edwards, Finney, Carey, Whitfield, and Jones.  This is where we get many of our ideals from (doctrines of man).  
II Corinthians 7:8-12
8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.  
8 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  
9 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  
10 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.  
12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
Is this why you street preachers are on the corner?  Is this why preachers invite gospel grenade throwing evangelist to prod the sheep unto submission? If you could write a letter to the lost, would it match your preached words on Saturday afternoon in front of the people coming and going in their chariots?  
Second Corinthians 7 is obviously dealing with those of faith.  The importance of using it to this point, is the “repentance to salvation” we see in the passage as opposed to the “sorrow of the world” that worketh death.  
Paul had PERSONAL dealings with sinners, and saints.  Jesus Christ had personal dealings with sinners and saints.  These great evangelistic passages, including the minor prophets like Jonah, “just going to preach the word” the city repented, and so on.  These examples in the Bible are not personal dealings with souls to find a ready, drawn, repentant sinner of godly sorrow, but rather dealings with nations, cities, and masses.  
We don’t believe in seed planting with many of our ministries, we believe in fruit bearing.  It’s backwards.  You can’t have proper fruit until you have proper seed planting.  Theses people who you profess “battle with” as you “fight the devil” and his crowd, the cults, the sodomites, the lasciviousness, and the Atheist, may have already been drawn, and it’s obvious they have rejected, and some of them, God may never knock again.  And this is to whom we go to preach?   Many have no root in them.  You say, “Well someone has to tell them”.  You think you are the only way for them to hear, so you will forcibly and with great boldness, make your self the seed, instead of the word of God.  Your calling is somehow special and the exception.
These are the people we go to?  The 20,000 at the sporting events?  The 10,000  intoxicated, fornicating Spring breakers sowing their wild oats and enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season?  Yeah, there minds should really be drawn of the spirit.  They should really be free from all distractions to hear the spirits call to salvation.  IS there someone among theses that needs salvation.  YES.  Is their someone among these that may get saved?  YES.  Just like there are men and women everywhere that SHOULD be saved and SHOULD repent.  
How about the 300 in a bar on a Friday night enjoying times with their selected friends.  They were not drawn of the Spirit to these places.   And neither were you preacher!  The same flesh that brought them out, brought you out.  They need God just as much as anybody.  But they are not in a place that is conducive to hearing it or understanding it.  “HOW SHALL THEY HEAR?”  - Over the loud music, the riotous behavior, the nakedness, the flesh, the reveling, the distractions, the alcohol, etc?  
So to make them hear us, many street preachers have resorted to being the “gospel riot control” by implementing megaphones at these attractions so they CAN definitely be heard.  Of course we should attempt to win the lost at any opportunity.  But we can’t wait for the opportune times?  We make them in our own haste or at our own appointments.  We lack patient, which I will do with more towards the close of this study.
We keep to the same appointments as the world.  This is not the spirit, this is the letter.  The same flesh that brought the world out to revel, brought you to revile it!  It just has the 2 sides banging away at each other!  The holy spirit did not guide you, and you did not ask of him!  These events are premeditated and traditional.  You scheduled, you prayed, you went, and you preached, all in your own flesh.
They were drawn of their friends, acquaintances, and their own free will, much like the zealous street preachers.  You want act this way unless you have soldiers around you to protect you.  So you are drawn of your friends and your acquaintances as well. Why do you never see these men by themselves? They have other tough looking guys around them as body guards to protect them. 
Paul was against this, and so was our Lord.  It’s HIM that brings the condemnation, not you.  We bring reconciliation!  I hate to state the obvious and sound Calvinistic, but many of these baser lost individuals are seared and reprobate. What word did the sinners receive? How did they receive the word?  The sinners response has to do with how we are putting it out. (Romans 10).  They have to receive it first before they can believe it.  They have to hear it to understand it.  They have to understand it to believe it.  They are not receiving as the word of God, but as the word of men, because that what most of it is.
You could listen to anyone of the confrontational street preachers out there, and rarely here the gospel of the grace of God which I will illustrate later.  You will hear about the wickedness of the world, sodomy, fornicators, judgment, hell, repent ye, etc.  All Biblical, but not all applicable.  The word has to work in us!
I Thessolonians 2:10
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 
Look in Acts 17:16-20 to see a interesting contrast.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.  
17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.  
18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.  
19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?  
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
Isn’t that amazing?  They asked him.  Paul didn’t rudely and offensively just stand up and began slamming the wicked idolaters.  They asked him a question, what something meant concerning Jesus!  And then Paul delivered his famous Mars Hill sermon.  After he said his sermon on Mars hill, verse 32 tells us the outcome.
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
33 So Paul departed from among them.
Christ was the offence!  His resurrection was mocked.  Not the fact that Paul was proclaiming boldly the King James bible.  You know what Paul did afterwards.  He simply left.  He departed from among them.  He didn’t stay and fight wickedness.  He possessed his vessel unto sanctification.  He did not give occasion to the flesh.  He practiced discernment. 
He boldly stood and proclaimed the gospel truth.  He told them they ignorantly worship idols.  He told of how God  commandeth all men everywhere to repent!  He told them of Christ judging them in righteousness.  He spoke of assurance and the resurrection.  You know what he did not do.  Anything to offend purposefully and maliciously.  Give none offence!  He gave the offence of Christ without offending.  They mocked at the resurrection!  
Paul disputed in the synagogue, with the Jews, and the devout persons, in the market daily, WITH THEM THAT MET WITH HIM.  This is not street preaching.  He wasn’t standing on a corner yelling.  He was respectfully disputing.  
The Jews would congregate daily sometimes in the synagogues to discuss, and reason.  Sometimes in the market places as a place to meet.  The picture was not men going through the grocery stores and corners blabbing about with disdain and noise.  They were commonly, devout and  religious Jews that Paul would talk with daily and attempt to persuade.  
After they mocked, and some put off the things he said, “Paul departed from among them”. Again we see this pattern, even as early as Acts.  He preached the word, disputed as his manner was, and left. He didn’t waste his time, he was redeeming the time.  Some believed, some believed not.  
You will not lead the world to Him.  You may lead some to him.  And you will not, under any circumstances lead me to God with the next things!  The list that follows is the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5.  These are  the fruits the EVERY Christians should be seeking.  These are the fruits all preachers should be adhering to.  Ye shall know them by their fruits street preacher?  These are the fruits that are NOT being displayed in about 70% of our public preachers!
You compare yourselves among yourselves, and when you see fruit for anything you have done in the arm of flesh, you then see your justification for continuing therein.  And then if you don’t see others doing your same selected service, you ask where there fruits are?  Where are yours preacher?  Where are your fruits?
Men with wrong intentions hate definition of terms because it is truth, outside of the sources of the bible which they masterfully twist to distort truth.  There isn’t much you can do with literal definitions.  They show true intentions.
“Indeed nothing makes a man more unpopular in the controversies of the present day than an insistence upon definition of terms.” J. Gresham Machen
-Love ~ a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person  
-Antonym ~ Hatred, dislike ~ intense dislike or extreme aversion or hostility.
Extreme Aversion.  Emulation, which is a evil of the heart in Mark 7. Hostility.  Hatred.  Variance.  Any of these words ring a bell.  These are opposite the fruit of the spirit we call LOVE.  Extreme dislike or aversion!  We don’t see any of these fruits in the “in your face” minded street preacher fellowships and conferences.  Our street preachers are most assuredly not “profoundly tender and affectionate” towards the passer byers.  
-Joy ~ the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation
-Antonym ~ unhappiness ~ sad; miserable; wretched
Miserable.  Wretched.  This would be the prophets.  The prophets weren’t joyful fellows.  The fruit of the spirit, JOY, should be our constraining and compelling motivator to witness for Him. It’s a new covenant a more excellent way.  To be ready to answer!  Paul said he was counted faithful being put into the ministry.  It was a joy to serve others as he did. It wasn’t a salary and ministry support people!  He wasn’t living off the gospel and the tithes!
-Peace ~ cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension
-Antonym ~ disturbance ~ the act of disturbing, the state of being disturbed, commotion, an outbreak of disorder; a breach of public peace.
Must I even comment on this one.  The act of disturbing, commotion, a breach of public peace!  Ye shall know them by their fruits?  What’s your testimony Christian?  Is it peace?  What is your testimony when your on the streets  preaching?  Do YOU have an appearance of evil, people turn the other way when they see you because you have made them so uncomfortable in your holiness?
You claim not to be preaching to win souls, so what fruit is being produced by you Christian.  What do they say of you?  I know you don’t care what they say of you.  You don’t concern yourself with giving none offence.  And that is the major problem. You have authority and no man or woman is going to tell you how to be or what to preach.   
His words are in your heart like as unto a fire and you cannot stay!  Right Jeremiah?  Right Street Preacher?  Thats your attitude isn;t it. You are just preaching Christ right?  
You lie and speak not the truth.  How lofty we have become.  Many of these men are not preaching Christ crucified.  They are leading men towards the God of the Bible, a wrathful God, without any expounding or clarification!
-Longsuffering ~ enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently
-Antonym ~ impatience ~ lack of patience, intolerance of anything that thwarts, delays, or hinders
Nearly every independent, street preaching, sin preaching, preacher lacks this fruit  of the spirit when being a witness to the lost.  Enduring injury, trouble, long and patiently.  All we see the intolerance of anything that thwarts or hinders.  And we must preach against sin.  We must thunder as of old!  We see the wickedness of the sodomite.  The fornication of the youth.  The abuse of the drug users.  The lewdness of the sop drunks.  The adultery of the patrons.  The blasphemy of the religious.  The greed of the gamblers.  The extortion of the entertainment industry.  The lasciviousness of the spring breakers.  The idolatry of the sports fanatics.  And in all these things, And such were some of you.  We forget this.  We forget that we are STILL sinners, right now, at this very instance, who could perform anyone of these sins.
-Gentleness ~ kindly, amiable, not severe, rough, or violent; mild
-Antonym ~ harshness ~ ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect, grim or unpleasantly severe; stern; cruel; austere
We are to NOT be severe, rough or violent. These are opposite of gentleness. The affect we often leave is grim, unpleasant, stern, cruel and harsh.  Because we know the bible is 2/3 negative right?  Because we know that it is reproof, negative, rebuking, negative and exhort, positive.  That is all the justification we need to be meaner than hell.  
Sam Jones said to many men of his day, “Quit your meaness!”.  We should attempt to examine ourselves individually and follow suit.  We have become unpleasant in action and effect.  And generally speaking, no one cares.
-Goodness ~ moral excellence; virtue; kindly feeling; kindness; generosity
-Antonym ~ badness ~ not good in any manner or degree; morally reprehensible; inaccurate, incorrect, or faulty
Kindness?  Where has that been?  Where is it in your message? Inaccurate, as to what you are preaching.  Your own gospel.  The mandate of the street.  Your preaching of the God of the Bible to the lost world has done irreparable damage for they can’t even know him without the Son.  People do not see the kind gentle feeling Baptist Christian you are to your companions and family, they only see the spirit of the prophets that you exude on the corners.
GOODNESS, is a fruit of the spirit.  And ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men see your goodness or variance?  Do they see the evidence of this fruit of the spirit on your face when you are one inch from the sinners nose calling them all sorts of  unbecoming names?
-Faith ~ confidence or trust in a person or thing; belief that is not based on proof; belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion; confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
-Antonym ~ doubt ~ to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe; to distrust; to fear; be apprehensive about
What do they, the heathen, see in us?  What do they hear from our mouths?  Your actions make the unbeliever hesitate to believe you.  Your actions will cause them to distrust you and what they are hearing from your lips.  
This sort of street preacher is in love with his own flesh and pomp.  He creates the opposite of faith which is doubt and question.  Are they hesitant to believe because of how we appear and what we say?  Do they distrust?  Are they apprehensive?  Opposite of faith.
Do you as a street worker or preacher have faith to believe in the more excellent way and the overwhelming theme of love and charity in the NT?  Do you have FAITH to believe that HIS light of the glorious gospel of Christ can physically and literally shine in you enough to prompt the unlearned and unbeliever to ASK you of the reason of hope?
-Meekness ~ humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others; gentle; kind
-Antonym ~ pride ~ a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
Humble, gentle kind.  Do we not see this behavior in Paul and Christ?  We absolutely see this in Paul, even in Acts!  Paul spoke much of not offending the brethren and the lost.  This is a fruit of the spirit.  The spirit of God makes men powerful in meekness, not lofty in power.  
God’s Holy Spirit, will not lead us to have behavior or conduct that is becoming of such sins as pride.  His spirit will not have men acting superior in knowledge and truth.  It is ANOTHER spirit at work among this sect of street preachers.  Have our positions and power really made us so haughty?  So prideful, to not give up the traditions and man made religion and ways of service?  
-Temperance ~ moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.
-Antonym ~ excess ~ an extreme or excessive amount or degree; a going beyond what is regarded as customary, proper, or necessary.
And finally, temperance.  Self restraint.  Militant does not mean military.  Military practices restraint, and patience.  Why would not God’s Green berets practice restraint, the “in the trenches street preachers”, who battle the world with the whole armor of God.  The intent of most street preacher is exactly opposite and contrary to the real fruits of the spirit.  Extreme, excessive, going beyond what is proper, or necessary all in the NAME of Jesus Christ.
Where are your fruits bold men? I can list a bunch of scriptures too!
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 2 Corinthians 9:10
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Phillipians 1:11
The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. 2 Timothy 2:6
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. James 3:17-18
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  Romans 6:13
Remembering the importance of Paul’s example.  You want an example for public ministry in Acts?  
Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 
He wasn’t passing out a tract and walking on to the next.  That can be the danger of passing out tracts.  We have to get our numbers up so when we meet back up with the outreach group we can compare.  “I passed out 50”!  What if God wanted you to talk to 1?  This has become our mentality many times. 
Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
He wasn’t looking for wickedest crowd, and the most unsavory festivals to bash the heathen in a street blitz.  The danger is we pay very close attention to our own efforts.  We keep them chronicled in our mind to compare with the next head hunting soul winning crusader.  
Paul was opening the word, most assuredly the OT, and showing them Christ, and prophecy.  It was out of the scriptures!  It was by reasoning, and persuasion.  
Acts 18:19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 
Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee
Paul reasoned with Felix concerning Christ!
To put it in perspective, where is Paul’s infamous rudeness in speech that many preachers run to to have occasion to be jerks?  Where are our traits to follow, that we now see, being employed by the large majority of Baptist preachers?  
There’s times to be rude in speech, but this was not Paul’s manner with the unbeliever.  And many times, he was harsh, due to Paul’s actual physical  life being threatened.  There was “real” persecution going on.  We even have the example of Christ congregating with publicans and sinners, unbelievers, before their salvation, or miracles even occurred.
Matthew 9:10-11 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 
Matthew 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 
Mark 2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 
Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 
This was grace.  This was an example.  You don’t see Christ dealing with the lost in this manner we see today from our prominent street ministries in our local churches.  
Pay no attention to numbers at ALL.  Don’t keep track of how many you led to God.  Or how many you preach to.  How many tracts you passed out. How many places you have preached.  How many events and so on.  Be willing.  God giveth the increase.  This is strong in the Pauline Epistles about it being HIM that giveth the increase, so HE can have the glory.  He draws them.  
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
He knocks.  
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Man needs to open the door!
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
He opens unto them.  He sups with them.  There has to be the Spirit of God drawing a man.  As previously covered, there IS rejoicing in heaven over ONE that repenteth.  Our motivator should be to win whoever we can, not all that we can.  
We should not be ashamed.  If you are, ask God for help.  It’s difficult to attempt to open these dialogues in public with all the false religions and ignorant Christians doing so good at making us all look crazy.  But we still should pray and look for decent, effective times to witness.  This is fighting the good fight, the small guerrilla engagements! The Lord sees your true labor believers! Don't feel that you need to join with unreasonable men.  

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