Ray Comfort - Militant evangelism

DEDICATION:

To three good soldiers of Jesus Christ, Joey Kline, Andy Brink and Kelly Kohlleffel .

CONTENTS

"The enemy is in front of us; the enemy is behind us; the enemy is to the right and the left of us. They cant get away this time! General Douglas MacArthur.

FOREWORD

There has never been a time when it has been more difficult to be a Christian," said William Barclay, "and there has never been a time when it has been more necessary."

In a world that seeks peace at any price, it may seem a bit outre to put out a book on how to wage war. But then God did not call us to party. The Church is an army, our purpose here is to fight and the Captain of the Lord's hosts has committed us to battle. The language of the Scriptures is unashamedly militant: "Put on the whole armor of God;" "Fight the good fight of faith;" "That he may please Him who has chosen him to be a soldier." The old Scripture said, "We wrestle not with flesh and blood;" our modern practical version usually reads more simply: "We wrestle not."

Ray's book is a gauntlet thrown on the ground to a man- centered Gospel that puts human need above Divine right, preaches happiness without holiness and offers a fire escape without ever daring to mention the fire.

We will lose a whole generation if we do not speak the truth in love. Woe unto us if we do not preach the Gospel!

That grand old giant of spiritual warfare, William Booth of the Salvation Army, once prophesied of the coming twentieth century. He warned of a generation to come that preached a faith without repentance, religion without the Holy Spirit, a salvation without Lordship and a Christianity without Christ. That generation has come, and Ray Comfort has declared war. This time demands spiritual soldiers. That's what this book is all about.

Winkie Pratney

PREFACE

A s I sat in the plush home not too far from Hollywood, the flesh on my face was almost pulled back by the volume of the video I was watching. Two days earlier I had asked my wife Sue, where I could find some good military terms "to stir the troops" as I penned the final words of this publication. Now I sat in the home of a man whose job it was to check the sound of the "master" copy of "Gettysburg," the great motion picture epic which so graphically depicted the American civil war. My new friend, Michael Strong, had worked for many years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on films such as "Hiding Place" and "Joni," and for some reason he wanted me to see the battle scene in Gettysburg. Sound was his business, and sound is what we had, as troops rallied with a unified roar of admiration around their general, like "a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine."

As the battle began, most of the infantrymen lay

on the ground as cannons blasted the enemy, vibrating the room in which I was sitting and filling the battle scene with thick smoke. With less than a second between each blast, I sat wide-eyed as the sound of each cannon hit me between the ears. To my surprise, there was no direct confrontation between the two armies. The cannons did all the preparatory work, sending terror into the heart of the enemy, then the soldiers pressed in to the heat of battle. My heart was stirred as I saw the spiritual principles set so vividly before me.

We live in an age when the Church roars with adoration for our Commander on Sunday, but hides from the heat of the battle on Monday. I am certain that this is because we have set aside the cannons God has given us to do the preparatory work in our battle. If you are not familiar with these great cannons, it would be well worth your while to read our book, Hell's Best Kept Secret.

The key to accomplishing our aims is to have every soldier employed in battle, but sadly many are still in the barracks. One great military officer, Charles Spurgeon, let off a gun which whistled a burning bullet over the sleeping heads of the professing troopers of his day when he said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved, then you are not saved yourself, you can be sure of that!" Charles Finney said similar things.

May the fear of the Lord awaken the Army of

God, and as we continue in training, striving together for the faith of the Gospel, may God grant us that which is necessary for us to strike terror in the heart of the enemy. May He employ us as never before, to take territory from the hands of the devil, the souls of men and women, in these closing hours of time.

CHAPTER ONE: STATIONED AT THE GATES OF HELL!

"Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire ... " (Jude 23).

I was dancing around in a living room of people I hardly knew, because there was no way I could sit still! My ministry was finished at a mainline denominational church camp, and I was feeling quite pleased with myself. For the first time in months I didn't feel "wrung out." Often I would return from weekend meetings absolutely exhausted. Sue, my wife, would meet me at the airport, drive me home and put me into bed. But this weekend had been quite different. These people had not been to the Squeeze the Preacher school, and had let me off with an amazing three meetings in the whole weekend. Now the camp was over and I was being shown my lodging for the Sunday night.

After seeing my room I made my way to an upstairs living room. The view was magnificent. Through the large window I gazed at the harbor below, and watched as the sun seemed to dance on the water. I sat down in an armchair and took a look around. A footstool, the view, a large television, a stereo ... and now the hostess entered the room with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate full of fresh home baking. This place was made for Comfort. Ease consumed me. I reached out to take one of the offered goodies when suddenly, much to my shock and the surprise of the woman, I jumped out of my seat like a frog on a hot plate. I turned around to see a yellow and black bee crawling around the seat of the armchair. I had been squarely stung on the hindermost part! I was in too much pain to be overly embarrassed. As I jumped about the room, my only consolation was the thought, "There's got to be a sermon in this." Some years before, I had prayed a most dangerous prayer. I asked the Lord to cause things to happen in my life which I could use as sermon illustrations. At this point of time I regretted that request.

However, it wasn't long until I saw the application. I am convinced that God wants the complacent Laodicean Church to rise up on its feet! For too long we have sat in ease and comfort. We have said, "I am rich, and have need of nothing." God is saying to His people, "Shine, for your light is come," and if it takes the sting of God's chastening hand to cause the Church to stand upright, may it come quickly.

Charles Spurgeon said, "God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into Hell!" White-field said, "The Christian world is in a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it!" Catherine Booth, the gentle co-founder of the Salvation Army, regarding church buildings said, "A barracks is meant to be a place where real soldiers were to be fed and equipped for war, not a place to settle down in or as a comfortable snuggery in which to enjoy ourselves. I hope that if ever they, our soldiers, do settle down God will burn their barracks over their heads!"

The Withered Hand

In Luke Chapter 6, the religious leaders were seeking an accusation against Jesus. We pick up the story in verse 6:

"On another Sabbath He went into the Synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the withered hand, 'Get up and stand in front of everyone.' So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, 'I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?'