OPEN AIR PREACHING
Almost everyday sinners and Christians alike ask me why I preach in the loud, confrontational manner that I do. Many of them will say that Jesus (YahShua) preached only about love, and did so in a loving, gentle manner, not in the loud, brazen manner in which they see me preaching. Hopefully this tract will help you understand why I preach the way I do.
METHOD OF PREACHING
The way I preach at campus is to find a spot where a good deal of human traffic passes. I then lift up my voice, preach loudly enough so that all who pass by can hear, and attempt to gain enough interest to draw a sizable crowd. The reason I lift my voice is not because I enjoy yelling at people: it is simply the only means (without using a bull horn) to draw a large crowd of people. One-on-one witnessing reaches one or two people at a time, but open air preaching allows me to reach dozens and sometimes hundreds of people at any one time. This makes open-air preaching far more effective in reaching the masses.
Isaiah 58:1 says “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” The Old Testament Prophets used the method I use by standing in the gates of the city and loudly preaching to those who passed by.
In the New Testament, Jesus (YahShua) said in Matthew 10:27 “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what you hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” YahShua was about to send his 12 disciples out two by two to preach the gospel. He commands them to preach in the open air!
When reading the book of Acts, you will find that all the early Christians used the method I use. Peter preached to 3000 Jews and most of them repented. The Apostle Paul traveled to Athens and preached on Mars Hill, calling his listeners superstitious (which would have been a grave insult to those so-called learned men). The disciples would go from town to town, preaching in the outdoor market squares. Often the gathered crowds would become so angry, they would drag the preachers outside the city, stone them and leave them to die. Still, the preachers continued to preach.
The fact that most people on campus become very angry at my preaching is simply verification that I am preaching the same content and using the same method as the early Christians.
JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED
Many of my opponents, both Christian and non, quote Matthew 7:1: “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Because my preaching often includes general and specific rebukes toward my hearers, and since I make many judgments of people throughout the day, people accuse me of violating this verse.
However, they are not reading the verse IN CONTEXT. If you continue reading, verse 5 tells us WHOM verse 1 is for: “THOU HYPOCRITES”. YahShua commands hypocrites (those who claim to be righteous but still sin) not to judge. He shows them in those five verses how they MAY judge. If they remove the sin from their life, THEN they will see clearly to judge the sin in someone else’s life. Later in the SAME chapter, YahShua tells his followers to JUDGE a true prophet from a false one by the fruits they bear.
In John 7:24 YahShua COMMANDS His followers to judge! In I Cor 2:15-16 and 6:1-4, Paul admonishes believers to JUDGE OTHERS to keep the leaven of sin out of the congregations. As long as all sin is removed in one’s life, judging others is not only allowed, but commanded by the Creator.
NAME CALLING
People often object to my use of name-calling. Throughout a given preach, I will use words to describe people such as: fools, hypocrites, whores, whore mongers, sinners, adulterers, enemies of Yah, etc.
This form of name calling was a method employed by the Messiah to help a person realize his true state and then hopefully repent. Often the Messiah would use these words against the most arrogant of people. I do the same.
In Matthew 23, the Messiah repeatedly calls the religious leaders by various insulting names, angering them to the point that they want to murder the Messiah.
John the Baptist called not only the religious leaders names, but all the people, naming them a “brood of vipers”.
Paul even called CHRISTIANS names, often rebuking them for their stupidity and calling them lazy, dull, slow and foolish.
Calling people names is never wrong as long as it is true and done with the motivation of bringing the person to repentance.
USING VILE LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE SIN
Very rarely I will use vile language to describe sin and paint a firm picture in the mind of my listeners. Sometimes I will describe sin or a sinner as dung in the eyes of YahVeh. I will describe the ugliness of abortion or the sickness of sodomy to drive the point home. Some Christians object to my use of vile language in describing these gross sins. However, Ezekiel 23 compares Israel and Judah to two harlots. The chapter is filled with offensive language used to graphically describe their wickedness. Sometimes YahVeh will employ extreme measures to bring a sinner to repentance.
GENERALIZATIONS
Many times when preaching to a crowd of people I will say, “You sinners need to repent!” Almost inevitably someone will say, “You don’t even know us, how can you call us all sinners?” I am making a generalization. Obviously if a true believer is in the crowd, I am not speaking to him. If the shoe fits, wear it. Often those who object to my generalizations are guilty themselves of the very sin I am generalizing about. Common sense needs to be used by the listeners of an open air preacher.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER
Usually the only reason people object to my method or content of preaching is because they have not studied the scriptures. The methods I employ are all grounded in Scripture. I have yet to meet anyone who can use the Scriptures to contradict how I preach. If I ever meet someone who can, I will immediately change. Until then, let the preaching continue!
In YahShua and by His Torah,
Daniel J. Lee
