xjwsforChrist

So states the favorite scripture of JWs.

But, to what end? What, really, is the purpose of preaching or evangelizing?

Re-cruitment.

Also, is preaching and evangelizing really all that altruistic?

Seems people are in to it for their own personal gains...i.e., eyes on the prize and whatever the sayings are for other rreligions/churches/faiths/beliefs....ETC.

_________________
"I am proud to say that I will not lift one finger ( except my middle finger) for the WTBTS."

I should rephrase. What should the purpose of preaching be, scripturally speaking? I don't care about the JW reason, but since there is significant focus on preaching and evangelizing in the NT, what is the real purpose for it? I have my own thoughts about this, but wanted to see what the group at large has to say.

LQ,

You will notice I said eye on prize or whatever any other faith says as far as the golden carrot is concerned.

Also, if you do not do this, there will be no re-ward.

This is one of the meanings of WARD:

verb
1.
archaic
guard; protect.
"it was his duty to ward the king"

Now, what is THE re-WARD for preaching ABOUT what is in the bible? What is YOUR golden carrot , if you will?

_________________
"I am proud to say that I will not lift one finger ( except my middle finger) for the WTBTS."

And, would you do it ALL if no re-WARD were involved, AT ALL?

If yes to that question, then WHY do it, AT ALL?

And, I am not 'playing' with you lq. I would very much like an answer to these.

_________________
"I am proud to say that I will not lift one finger ( except my middle finger) for the WTBTS."

What, you means it's not to sell magazines, fleece sheep, and buy up and improve buttloads of premium real estate all over the globe, dear LQ (peace to you, luv!). Shut yo' mouf!!

No, seriously, luv. Paul summed it up nicely, actually (even though most don't know what he meant, particularly those who teach/claim to know... yet, have absolutely no knowledge... or possession of holy spirit). To the Romans he wrote:

"If you declare with your mouth, “[Jesus] is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and [b]it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of JaHVeH will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And [b]how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear {OF the one of whom they have not heard) without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Where the WTBTS... and others... go wrong, is on two grounds:

1. Their understanding of the "good news" - what it IS; and
2. What it means to "preach."

The WTBTS claims to preach "the good news of the kingdom." So, they go around "announcing Jehovah's kingdom". But the KINGDOM isn't the good news - our Lord didn't say, "This good news that IS the kingdom," or "This goods new which is ABOUT the kingdom," will be preached. He said the good news OF the kingdom will be preached. What is that good news? CHRIST... RISEN... FROM THE DEAD... which is the PRECURSOR... to those who put FAITH in him! They, too, if they have died... WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. Through CHRIST... the blind will see, the lame will walk... the deaf will hear... the sick will be healed... and the dead will be resurrected. BY Christ! And not WITHOUT him!

AND... as EVIDENCE of this (future) fulfillment... the blind were given sight, the deaf hearing, the lame "legs", sick were healed, and dead were raised up! All by means of God's HOLY SPIRIT... dispensed by His Son. BUT... that was just the START. After the PHYSICAL manifestations gave initial evidence... HOLY SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT... so that there could be even GREATER fulfillment: in SPIRIT!

And so NOW, what "we", those who've received EVIDENCE of it, do... is, JUST like those who experience(d) such things in a PHYSICAL sense ran about, telling what happened to THEM, and praising JAH did... tell others about the free gift OF HOLY SPIRIT... which gives us SPIRITUAL sight... hearing... healing... LIFE. TRUE sight. TRUE hearing. TRUE life.

Because what those people receive was temporary. Lasting only for a short time. What WE are being given... sight, sound, walking, healing, resurrection... is/will be eternal!

Just like the folks who were healed could NOT keep it to themselves, even when directed to do so, we who receive the GREATER "healing," can't either! We HAVE to tell others, just as they did. We CANNOT keep it to ourselves... NOT because of our OWN power... but because IT IS A FOUNTAIN IN US... BUBBLING UP... to impart everlasting life! If that spirit is TRULY in you... YOU CAN'T HELP IT! You HAVE to tell about it! Why? Because, JUST like those folks who were healed PHYSICALLY couldn't NOT tell others about, those who are healed SPIRITUALLY cannot not tell others about it!

WHY?? Because... it is NOT THEM SPEAKING... but HOLY SPIRIT speaking... THROUGH THEM! They are all merely INSTRUMENTS of JAH's will... once they hand themselves over TO that will. As Christ said, "If these did NOT speak... THE ROCKS WOULD CRY OUT!" What does that mean? It means that JAH... WILL herald the GOOD news, HIS good news... THROUGH Christ... THROUGH these ones!

So long as they are willing to BE used so. And they are. Again, as Paul wrote:

"... it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved

And THAT is what is meant by "preaching." NOT standing in a pulpit or before a podium or in the streets/broadways, etc. Not on radios, TV, stages, etc. It is simply TELLING OTHERS what has occurred with YOU... as a result of holy spirit... so that THEY KNOW, TOO.... so as to gain a desire to get to KNOW the One who DISPENSES it... so they can receive it, TOO!

I have shared with you dear ones that I share what I receive... out of LOVE. It is TRUE. Not that I love you, per se. I love you... because THEY love you... and want you to KNOW. So, I have agreed to be an "instrument" OF that love.

Which is why *I*, SA, "preach"... or herald... to you... the GOOD news of the kingdom:

God and Christ ARE ALIVE! They LIVE! AND... they SPEAK. To ANY who are LISTENING. NOT just to hear words.... but to OBEY... and be TAUGHT... BY them... so as to be led into ALL truth! So as to receive holy spirit, the "water" of life... and TRUE drink... and the "manna" from heaven, which is the TRUE food!

That, dear one, is the GOOD news. That unlike the Law, which benefitted only ONE nation, there is a NEW Law, love, which benefits people of EVERY nation! And if one softens one's heart, one can have that law written ON their heart... and be led, by MEANS of that Law... which will PROMPT them to LISTEN, OBEY, and FOLLOW the One(s) SPEAKING... TO that "water" and "manna."

And so, LOVE... is the purpose of preaching that good news, dear one. Because JAH IS love... and does not want ANY to die, and certainly not to be destroyed. So He sent His Son, to show Israel first, then everyone else, HOW to walk... so as to get away safe and NOT be destroyed. And only those who listen will do so. Some will listen and not even know it ("When did we...?").

But those who SAY they are listening... and obeying... yet, are following after men, false christs, etc., are fooling themselves. It would be better if such ones truly WERE blind. But,, as my Lord said:

"You SAY you see. So... YOUR sin REMAINS."

I, SA, DON'T see. I am BLIND. And so I MUST listen... and OBEY... in order to be led to that "fountain." Right now, I (and others) receive drops from it, but then... we will be able to BATHE in its "water." I am blind. We ALL are. And it's PITCH BLACK in this world... AND... WE HAVE NO EYES!!! What we THINK we "see" is NOT the reality. Not even close. I get it that most think it is, though. That's the peril of the flesh - it misleads and
and deceives. Because it is OF this world.

The SPIRIT, though, is NOT. And THAT truly is the reality.

I hope this helps, dear, dear LQ, truly!

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellamar

s-Kally, certainly not the JW-style of preaching. I think that method is ineffective and highly annoying to most people. Would I talk about my Lord in a more informal setting if there was no reward? Certainly.

Thank you for that, Shelby. I quite agree. Here's why I asked. I came across this yesterday:
Eph 4:11,12:
And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, 12 with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, to build up the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness of the faith and of the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to being a full-grown man, attaining the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.

I think this is an answer to the question: What is the purpose of preaching/evangelizing?

Yep (peace, luv!). But consider: how can one tell others of someone THEY don't know... or help others truly understand what that one can DO... if they've never experienced it? Who is better to tell the account: one who says, "I know a man who had his eyes opened,"... or the man himself? Yet, even such a man wasn't believed... DESPITE THE EVIDENCE!

That's why those who have faith/believe but do NOT see... are counted HAPPIER than those who see.

Because seeing... is NOT necessarily BELIEVING!

Praise JAH, though: rather than opening the eyes of ONE man, then having that man go tell others about it (or answer when they ask him about it)... ALL can have their OWN eyes opened! By the SAME One who opened the man with no PHYSICAL eyes... and now opens the eyes of those blind SPIRITUALLY. As he opened MY eyes... AND my ears.

The gift that causes that... holy spirit... is free... and available to ANY who wish it. But only for ONE purpose. NOT so that we can say WE are something... WE are "special"... WE are worthy/deserving... but as you quoted:

"For the building up OF THE BODY (of Christ)."

Christ will use us to build the very temple of God... his BODY... the entire "Christ PERSON"... of which HE is the HEAD... if we LET him. If we give ourselves over TO him... to do HIS will, and the Father's... and not our OWN.

If we do our OWN will... we make it about ourselves and so are only trying to build up ourselves. And THAT "house" WILL come tumbling, crumbling down. Sooner or later.

Peace to you, dear one!

YSSFS of Christ

Shellamar

You seem to have the answer, Leaving... to build up the Body of Christ. To share what one has been given, out of love for Christ and God, and because one MUST speak. One cannot remain silent.

So... amen, to all that Shelby has shared.

Also, I am reminded now by the Spirit of this verse: "Out of the heart's abundance, the mouth speaks." Luke 6:45


Peace to you all,
your sister, and servant, and a slave of Christ,
tammy