This is a self-defense rebuke against those who may be anti-evangelistic. For context, I have been spreading my handwritten Bible papers promoting Christian Universalism. And I have spread them around the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, my hometown, such as in the Meeting Place location where my father and I have attended church. I first attended this church at least before the pandemic, and then regularly started attending this church again just recently around this month. Though this is not the only church that I have attended for service, it’s just one of them.
So, my mother wanted me to ask the pastor my opinion of my spreading my handwritten Bible verses. So we waited for a service to end and talked to the pastor there. The pastor mentioned how spreading the Bible should be a two way street, so this gave me the idea to put my email address on my Universal Reconciliation Bible papers in order to allow people to ask me questions. This is because the pastor said that me answering people’s questions were good.
For some reason, my mother wants to stop me from studying and reading the Bible on my own! Yes, that’s what she stated to me today Aug 23 2023 10:40 PM when she came downstairs, now she is upstairs.
My father also came downstairs and requested that I listen to this following video.
https://themeetingplace.mb.ca/teaching/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhSQtYzKUrA
My father tells me to listen to this Meeting Place video about not casting pearls to swine
https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/7-6.htm
Matthew 7:6 NIV “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
The Meeting Place tries to argue that throwing pearls to pigs
Timestamp 15:00 this person mentions that they were trying to share the story of Christmas to people, but then the person felt bad for doing it? This is a personal experience
Timestamp 16:48 talks about representing other people’s reputation. But still, even if my reputation is ruined because I am a Christian, will I stop telling people about Christianity? No! Why should I conform myself to the way of the world?
Timestamp 19:45 “How many times over the centuries and in this present day have picked up a pearl of Jesus' teaching, loaded it like a slingshot and tried to take someone out with it. How is it received. Like most projectiles injury results anger ensues”
Timestamp 20:27 I agree with them here though when they say, in terms of the Gospel, "to not cheapen it by forcing it to anyone". However, not all evangelism is forcing. Like, for my perspective, I’m just leaving Bible verses around and if people want to read it, that’s their choice. If a street preacher were to in public talk about the good news of Christ, they aren’t forcing anyone to listen, if people are curious about the message, they can pay attention if they want. If a person goes door to door and knocks at someone’s house, it’s the homeowner’s choice to let the person in. If a person emails another person, it’s their choice to reply, or to even give their email. If a person sends a message on a discussion forum or a chat, it’s up to the people on the other end whether to continue that conversation or to ignore it.
Obviously, if you’re holding a person at gunpoint and telling them to believe in Christ or else you’ll murder them, then not only is that, well… the sin of murder. But it’s also not proper evangelism.
“forcing allegiance to Christ on society around us is inconsistent with the character of Christ,” I agree with this statement.
The Meeting place makes the comparison of evangelism to loading up a pearl on a slingshot and shooting it at someone. However, not all evangelism is this. It’s an inherently flawed example, because nowhere in the Bible passage does it even mention getting a slingshot and shooting it at people. Where do they even get this from? We can see that the throwing of the pearls is wrong because it’s being thrown to the pigs.
My interpretation of this verse is not to assign important Christian responsibilities to people when they do not care about Christ. Would you get an unbeliever, like an atheist, in order to believe in Christ?
Timestamp 24:12 brings up the quote of
Colossians 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Which is ironic as an argument against spreading my handwritten Bible verses like my own father may imply when he promoted this video or how he may interpret what the pastor said. Since I go out with my family anyways, to make the most of that opportunity when driving by car to Winnipeg Beach, to Gimli.
The problem with my father is that there may be times where he tries to agree with my mother. So, in terms of my rebuke here, I do this in terms of self-defense in order to ensure that I can continue evangelizing and spreading the good news of Christ. Because my father told me to hear this sermon from the Meeting Place multiple times.
Timestamp 28:08 they mention the word “evangelism” where they talk about the verse Colossians 4:5-6.
Luckily, they saw it does not negate the calling of spreading the good news of Christ.
https://biblehub.com/colossians/4-5.htm
https://biblehub.com/colossians/4-6.htm
So, the Meeting Place promotes lifestyle evangelism, in terms of doing good works for people so that people can ask you that you’re Christian. Well first, you’ve got to have them find out that you’re Christian one way or another.
Timestamp 34:31 even talks about if a person is called to speak on a street corner or just called to invite a friend to coffee. So that’s good because both of those are styles of evangelism that work, and that includes me spreading my handwritten Bible verses. I will not stop spreading them.
https://www.gotquestions.org/pearls-before-swine.html
Excellent response from Got Questions here quote: “The command not to cast your pearls before swine does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10).” end quote
Which is the same point that I was mentioning to my family member like my mother father.
start quote “Pigs don’t appreciate pearls, and some people don’t appreciate what Christ has done for them. Our job is not to force conversions or cram the gospel down people’s throats; there’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to swine. Jesus’ instruction to His apostles on how to handle rejection was to simply go elsewhere. There are other people who need to hear the gospel, and they are ready to hear it.” end quote
I agree in terms of not forcing conversions. It’s up to a person themselves to believe in Jesus Christ with faith alone to gain permanent salvation. When a person hears the good news of Christ, but does not believe, then we can go somewhere else so it’s more efficient.