Precursor To A Response

[Steven]

On January 3rd, 2007 I wrote a blog on Ray Comfort & Living Waters Ministry tracts, of which I sent a copy to Ray Comfort via his ministry's website, asking that it would be passed onto him; I gave an invitation for him to respond to the blog.

Liz Ebert, spokeswoman for Ray Comfort and Living Waters Ministry wrote me back, absolutely refusing to forward the letter to Ray Comfort. The following is her email in full: "Dear Steven, We greatly appreciate you taking the time to email us. My name is Liz and I am a member of Ray & Kirk's ministry team. Ray and Kirk do receive and answer emails; but they can't respond to all of them. They have entrusted me to do so. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. Please be aware that these are my comments and not necessarily theirs, though I am very familiar with their biblical position and stance concerning this ministry. Sorry, but we can't forward the letter you sent to Ray Comfort, but it there something I can help you with? Thank you again fro taking the time to write us, Liz - Living Waters Correspondent"

My response to Liz's email: " To Liz Ebert - Spokeswoman for Ray Comfort and Living Water Ministries, In your reply to my email, you indicated that your comments may not "necessarily" be 'their' comments. The original letter did not have your name on it, and as you stated you have no authority to answer; so... why, spokeswoman, do you speak on 'their' behalf and refuse to pass the letter on to Ray Comfort, to whom it (the letter) was written? Steven - InformationGospel   PS: Please note, all replies may be published to InformationGospel.net"

- Steven


Original Blog that was forwarded:

Why 'The Way of The Master' Is Not So Visible

Many years ago, I cut my preaching 'teeth' on the streets of San Francisco, with a ministry called SOS Ministries. Once or twice a year, the ministry would have a key note speaker by the name of Ray Comfort, (head of Living Waters Ministry and more recently The Way of the Master) whose ministry at that time was still pretty much unknown. Ray had a well-thought-out and unique way of witnessing to the lost; one of his main premises was the importance of showing the lost, however we preached, that they are indeed sinners according to the Commandments, and that there will be a Judgment someday.

Of all the speakers that ever showed up at SOS, I found Ray to be the most sincere and doctrinally sound; through good, Biblical hermeneutics, Ray instructed us how to go out and properly present the Gospel with the emphasis on sin and repentance. I recommend Ray's website as a resource for anyone who'd like to learn how to properly open-air preach, but I do not recommend some of his tracts.

As of late the Way of the Master has become a kind of pop-culture phenomenon in most modern-Christendom circles (in fact, the only people we see going out on the streets these days, for the most part, are those whom have responded to the Way of the Master). My main beef with Ray's ministry is that some of his more popular tracts lack the substance of the simple Gospel, or are deceptive in nature. For example, recently, Ray's ministry has come out with a Million dollar bill tract (that sells more than a million a year) which has the message of the Gospel inscribed in the border; the message itself, however is in extremely small print, and most people whom receive them on the street don't even know what it is they have received. These tracts of his are, I think, relatively new as I don't remember Ray using this type of deceptive method when he was talking to us in San Francisco.

So the questions are: 1. When we go out to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, why are we not being bold? 2. Why do we need to use deceit in order to preach the Gospel?

We know that Paul (1 Th. 2:2) was bold to preach the Gospel even when it was controversial. Surely if we are going to go out and witness to the lost the tracts we pass out should be, if anything, bold in their message as well as what comes from our mouth should also be bold. Here are a few phrases taken from the Greek that Paul used to describe this boldness:

1. freely speaking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, not hidden

2. to be confident; not hiding or shrinking back

3. showing assurance; knowing the message is true, thus not being ashamed

4. assume a bold bearing; everything that you do publicly is bold in the Gospel, whether in your appearance or your words, you are confident in Jesus Christ

Our methods, and the message in the tracts we pass out, should reflect this boldness, with the Gospel as a running theme throughout; people must be able to clearly see what it is you are saying and whom you represent. If these things are not clear, you are not properly presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thus could be construed as being deceptive or disgenuine.

As Christians, the thing we must not do is to say that we believe in Jesus Christ, we've been atoned of all our sin, saved from God's wrath and eternal damnation, that we've become sons and heirs with Christ, being given the right to spend eternity with God in His Kingdom, being commanded to preach this Gospel throughout the entire world... and yet be elusive with the Gospel or apprehensive and ashamed to really tell people about it.

This would be as if Jonah, after being given a message by God Himself to preach, being swallowed by a whale for three days and spit up on a beach, had instead gone to the Ninevites and handed out a bunch of coins with the message of God inscribed in tiny print on the edges, or trying to communicate to them by magic tricks. But no, Jonah heard the call to preach; though he didn't want to be the messenger of God, he went finally to Nineveh and was bold in both his speech and manner, crying out aloud that the city would be destroyed, unless the inhabitants repented.

How much more should we, today, be bold with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead." Acts 17: 30 & 31

Steven