Doo Dah Parade, Pt 5: Hare Krishna Preaching: A Fruitless Endeavor?

May 15, 2011Steve Sanchez18 CommentsE-vangie VIDEO!, Open Air

From the looks of things it seems I’m wasting my time preaching to wildly frenetic, whirling dervishy, hip-hoppy-happy Hare Krishas who were not paying any attention whatsoever to my one minute message.

And you’d be right—if you discounted one factor, a most important factor. Continue reading below… (Click here to start at part 1 of this 5 part series.)

The most important factor when preaching the Gospel to any crowd, whether they are listening to you or not is….

God.

As we herald the Good News, we must remember, time and again, that we are nothing. It is God who inclines the listener to hear his Word. It is God who grants understanding. It is God who grants repentance.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth.
(1 Corinthians 3:7)

I’m reminded of the account of what happened to A. W. Tozer as he was walking home from work. Tozer saw a crowd gathered on a street corner around an elderly street preacher. Curious, he stopped to listen and heard the old man say, “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God, saying, ‘Lord be merciful to me a sinner.’ ” Unable to stop thinking about what the preacher had said, Tozer went home and climbed up into the attic for privacy, determined to settle the question once and for all. Hours later he emerged a changed young man.

God had plans for young Tozer. He began preaching on the sidewalks himself and through this ministry met other preachers who were pastors in the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Tozer ended up writing over thirty books, including the classics, “The Pursuit of God,” and “The Knowledge of the Holy.”

Tozer’s epitaph reads simply, “A man of God.”

Maybe one of those confused, demonically inspired Hare Krishnas will hear a word, a sentence, a phrase, and turn from his wicked ways and be saved.

Just maybe.

It happened to me.

See another video where the Krishnas fled at my preaching by clicking here.

*****

Tozer’s account taken from “The One Year Christian History” by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, pgs. 266-267

Comments (18)

Robert Moss
May 15, 2011
Reply
I like how God used Tozer to share God’s Word and give nifty quotes with biblical truth.
vintango2k
May 15, 2011
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Demonically inspired? There food is divine though. =)
Nameless Cynic
May 16, 2011
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Maybe one of those confused, demonically inspired Hari Krishnas…
Hmmm…
The followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness have four regulative principles, in relation to the four legs of dharma, as the basis of the spiritual life:
– No eating of meat, fish or eggs (lacto-vegetarianism)
– No illicit sex
– No gambling
– No intoxication (including alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and other recreational drugs).
The four legs of Dharma are:
– Daya (Mercy)
– Tapas (Self-Control or Austerity)
– Satyam (Truthfulness)
– Śaucam (Cleanliness of body and mind)
Which of those are demonically inspired again?
- Steve Sanchez
  May 16, 2011
  Reply
  Nameless Cynic asked: Which of those are demonically inspired again?
  The fact that they believe they can get to their paradise by doing good things, the root of all demonically inspired belief systems.
  - devarsirat das
    June 2, 2012
    
    The a formentioned principles are the basis of religious life, like you have “thou shall not kill” In the bible is written “one should gloryfy the name of the Lord from sunrise to sunset” The Hare Krishna devotees do just that, they have the name of the Lord on their lips 24/7 and b4 anyone tries to say something stupid about this, Krishna means “The all attractive Lord” meaning God and not anything else, if you guys thisnk it means something else then you should ask your self meay its you who is “demonically inspired” by defaming one of Gods names. Anyway i say no more except that i know i love God and i also love Jesus and God is Krishna
Nameless Cynic
May 16, 2011
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Nameless Cynic asked: Which of those are demonically inspired again?
The fact that they believe they can get to their paradise by doing good things, the root of all demonically inspired belief systems.
Wow, Steve. So you don’t have to do good things? It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Master? Is that the message I’m getting here?
- Steve Sanchez
  May 16, 2011
  Reply
  You do the good things after you repent and believe. you know the verse from James. Faith w/o works is dead. You just cannot get to Heaven by good works alone. Big distinction.
  So, be as good an atheist as you can, then right before you die, repent and trust in the Savior. Oh. And let me know when that is.
vintango2k
May 16, 2011
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So there’s really no incentive to do any good works? I mean works are unrelated to whether you’re getting into heaven or not, so faith in Jesus Christ and baptism are your only ways into heaven, why do good works at all as a Christian? Wouldn’t it be more logical to conclude that good works come natural to people of all races and creeds and that whatever religion you are a part of is merely a part of who you are rather than the reason or incentive to do said good works?
Toni alvarez
May 16, 2011
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Wow!
Nameless Cynic
May 16, 2011
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Come on, Steve. You and I both know that the deathbed conversion dates back to the crucifixion itself. Long and noble history in the church, there. And if it doesn’t work, then why do so many work so hard at achieving it?
And, of course, it takes us back to Gandhi. Where did he go after death, again?
Nameless Cynic
May 16, 2011
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And incidentally:
Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.
— Marcus Aurelius
Samuel
May 17, 2011
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Demonically inspired does not necessarily mean a lack of morality or good works. However, it does mean a blindness to the full truth and knowledge about God and Jesus Christ. Demonic inspiration can be very clever at times or downright violent and scary. Many times it comes in the form of lies, many of which are subtle. So just because the Hare Krishnas try to practice good morals does not mean that they are not demonically inspired. The proof that they are is that they deny the truth about God as found in the Bible.
Paul Latour
May 17, 2011
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Vintango2K:
The Book of James in the Bible says “Faith without works is dead”. Very true. Good works is not the means to salvation but rather the fruit of one who is saved. If you claim to be a Christian but do not partake in “good works”, you probably are not what you say you are. Catholics take this verse to mean that you must do good works in order to merit your salvation. It’s not what it means.
Before I was saved, I did good works but my motive was selfish. I wanted the glory. As a Christian today, I continue in charitable works but my motive is now as a means of gratitude to God for the great work that Jesus did for me on the cross by dying for my sins and saving me from a just and eternal punishment in hell. In doing so, He gets the glory, not me. The way it should be.
Paul Latour
May 17, 2011
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Nameless Cynic quoted Aurelius as saying:
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.”
No, these gods would not care how devout, how good or how bad you’ve been. They can’t care or welcome you. They don’t exist. How could Aurelius been so absolute about these gods welcoming anybody for their virtues when he is non-absolute about their existence?
There is “a” God and He is just and the justifier at the same time.
All those who reject His free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through the sacrificial, substitutionary life and death of His risen Son, Jesus, will suffer God’s just wrath in hell.
All those who have repented of their sins and have humbly received Christ as their Lord and Savior have been justified (because their sins were paid for by Him in their place) shall, by grace, be treated as though they had never sinned and welcomed into eternal life with God in Heaven.
It’s that simple.
vintango2k
May 17, 2011
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@Samuel
How do you know demons are real? Is there evidence of this?
@Paul
What about human beings who have lived and died without knowledge of Jesus? Were the Aborigines doomed to Hell because they rejected a God who chose not to reveal himself to them at all?
Vagon
May 18, 2011
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@vin dah Sam already told you “The proof that they (Hare Krishna) are (Possessed) is that they deny the truth about God as found in the Bible.” So you are the evidence of demons!
Personally my favourite demon is one Ray Comfort claims he exorcised. The demon was called Hermit and it apparently possessed a stuffed toy, kind of like that Chucky movie. If this seems unbelievable I’m not going to help by mentioning that the stuffed doll was none other than Kermit the frog. I guess demons like phonetics – yeah and evolution is way more unlikely than that.
Nameless Cynic
May 19, 2011
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I exercise every day. Does that mean I’m safe from demons?
Peter
August 3, 2011
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Denial demonically inspired? What a stupid thing to say. As if the bible was the only book, many scripture s are inspired by God. Especially the Bhagavad gita of the Hindus. Man you are talking from the back of your head, the word christ comes from greek christos and that comes from sanskrit krsna. You are both worshipping the same God. I hate it when some self rightious persons like you declare they know everything, when in fact you only got straw in your head. First get your facts right before talking.