INTENSE Street Preaching Gone RIGHT?! | Pastor Reacts

What do you do when someone is in your face, yelling at you and calling you names, all because you're just trying to share the gospel?

Well, that's exactly what happened to Todd Friel, Jeff Durbin, and Cliff Connectly. So we're about to look at some of the most viewed moments of street preaching.

But how did they do, like really? Were they really effective in engaging hostile people? And if so, what's their secret?

You know what I mean? We're about to get into all of that. But first, welcome back to Wise Disciple. My name is Nate Sala, and I'm helping you become the effective

Christian that Jesus wants you to be. Before I jumped into this ministry full -time, I was a pastor and a debate teacher, and so it is with this unique background that I make these videos.

Make sure to like, sub, and share this one around, but only if it blesses you, all right? Here we go. Friends who are great and unlike you, they believe in realistic things, which the way of preaching is just stupidity.

So you're calling me stupid? Basically. Okay. Basically. Did I call you stupid? No, but you're telling me my religious beliefs are wrong.

And you're telling me mine are wrong. Okay, so we're already off on the wrong foot. Right? We don't know how this all started or how the conversation got here, but here's where it is now, you know?

Oh my goodness, I have chat up. Okay. And it's already contentious, okay?

Here is what appears to be a Muslim woman, right? Wearing the hijab, and she's already angry. Now, Christian, how do you handle this?

This is what you should be thinking about here in this video. We're amongst friends right now, okay? Before you find yourself in this very real situation, what do you do in these moments?

All right? Let's see what Todd Friel does. And look at how we can tolerate one another. I'm not saying Christianity is wrong.

I'm saying what you're preaching to people is wrong. All right. Christianity is not wrong. We believe in Jesus, and we love

Jesus more than you do, because what you're preaching is just straight up wrong. So you're better than I am. I'm not better than you are. Sounds like it.

No, I'm not saying that. Did I say that? Did I say that? I'm just telling you what it feels like when you're talking to me like that. Yeah, I say that.

All right? Exactly. Okay, now you said it. Let me probe on into something that you said, okay? And I think this will highlight the difference between you and me and our understanding of Jesus, right?

Okay, already I can see a tactical move here from Friel.

By the way, this will serve you well on the debate stage, just as much as off the stage, okay?

And here it is. He didn't get down in the mud with this woman, so she called his preaching stupid, and she said that he's basically stupid, right?

There's a lot of things that you can do in your flesh when someone gets in your face and calls you names, okay? But he didn't go there.

He identified what she said, and then he called it out by asking the question about whether or not she thinks that she's better than him.

I'm not sure that I would have done that myself, but now what he's doing is he's sidestepping the name calling to get at a deeper issue, which is the difference between Muslims and Christians.

And the difference rests in the person and work of Jesus Christ. So you've gotta be quick on your feet, you know?

And listen to what people are saying to you. This woman told Friel, you know, we love Jesus more than you do, and we know that what he was preaching, and we know that you're wrong.

And so Friel realizes that the underlying issue is right there. That's where it exists.

It's the difference between the teaching of the Quran and the teaching of the Bible on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

And so he sidesteps the name calling to get at that issue. Can you see that? You said you're a good person, correct?

I'm a good person, yes. Have you kept the laws of Moses? Yes. So you have always honored

God completely and totally, never wavering? Yeah, I would like to believe so.

Okay. I might have sinned a couple of times, but that doesn't make me a bad person. Well, what does it make you? Human.

A human, exactly. A human who sins. And God is forgiven. Did you always do everything that your parents told you to do?

No, because I'm a normal child, just like everybody else. I agree. Are you trying to tell me that you did everything your parents told you to do?

No, ma 'am, I'm not. See, but you said you're a good person. I think I'm a bad person, and I think the Bible teaches that you're a bad person too, because you've broken the laws of Moses.

Have you ever, ever been angry at somebody because they just annoyed you like me?

Yeah, probably. Okay, because Jesus said, you've heard it said of old, thou shalt not commit murder.

I say, if you ever call your brother a fool, which is basically what you call me, because you said my beliefs are stupid, that you are in danger of the judgment.

It is murder of the heart. So I don't need to kill somebody to murder them. I need to think about just being really mad at them, like you are with me.

But I don't need to worry about what you think. Okay. All I need to do is - So you said that you're a good - God will take care of it.

Okay, so you said you're a good person. All right, I'm trying to walk you through one point. I know what

I'm saying. So you've broken the laws of Moses. So this is why I typically advocate for you to engage folks, not on the street in this way, but through interpersonal dialogue that trades on relationship.

And I'm a debate teacher, okay, who teaches folks to do what Friel is doing right now, which really is, if you think about it, it's just a form of cross -examination.

And in cross, it is appropriate to interrupt someone to ask further questions, like what he's doing.

Why? Well, because you're leading them to the point that you want to make through an investigative process.

Okay. These are leading questions that take the person you're engaging where you want them to go.

And that entails sometimes interrupting, because if you don't, then your opponent might bloviate, they might filibuster, kind of like what this young lady is doing right now.

And the ultimate point that you want to make, right, you want to lead them there, it's going to get buried if you let them do that, okay?

The problem with stuff like this is a lot of people don't understand what's really happening, and then they get upset.

Like whoever just yelled at Friel right here, like I think it was this guy. That's why

I say, spend more time engaging folks on a one -on -one basis. It's because it's very difficult to change someone's mind when things get heated like this in a public square setting, all right?

Now, having said that, there is an on the other hand to consider, okay?

Because everything has its time and place. So let me, I want to make sure you hear me say that. And events like this in the open square can benefit the silent audience member who doesn't necessarily identify themselves, but is sitting there, you know, somewhere in this audience.

Someone is sitting there genuinely seeking truth and leaning in to listen closely, right? So this is more akin to what the

Apostle Paul did at the Areopagus. And you remember what happened next? Most at the end of his talk appeared not to have been persuaded, but some were.

And we read at the end of Acts 17, not only did some believe in what Paul was saying, but some joined him actually.

So that's interesting. I know what I need to say. As a Muslim, how do you get your sins forgiven? By repenting.

What does that mean? By asking for forgiveness, never doing the same thing again. And if I could make it up for the person, if I hurt someone, then to do that.

And so who pays for your debt against God for breaking his laws? I pay for my debt.

So you are earning your way to heaven, correct? Yes. Okay, that's the difference between you and me. Right there.

You believe you're earning your way to heaven by doing good, saying the Shahada, maybe by taking a trip to Mecca, the giving of alms.

You believe that you are doing good to earn your way to heaven. I believe there is none who does good, no, not one, but Jesus Christ, fully

God, fully man. He kept all the laws, was beaten and bruised, hung on a cross to take the wrath of God, fulfilling all righteousness so that you and I might become the righteousness of God.

I believe it is by grace through faith alone in Jesus alone. You believe it's by works.

Now, clearly we have a completely different worldview and understanding about God in the afterlife.

You do not believe that Jesus is God. I do. So here I think are the options. Either you're right, or I'm right, or we're both wrong, but we can't both be right.

Fair enough? Fair enough. Sweet, and look it, I don't hurt you. I don't try to kill you.

I'm not saying nasty things about you. Sweet. So 90s, so 1990s in pop culture reference.

Look, this is a win, okay? So if you're here to engage the arguments in this video, that's not the point of the video that I'm making, okay?

I've made others in the past. You can look at those, or I can make another one, I don't know, in the future and engage with these specific arguments.

By the way, why don't you just watch the video? I've put all the links for these original videos in the notes because Freel and Durbin and Connectly, they're solid.

They're gonna give you solid responses to these challenges. What I'm doing right now in this video is actually something slightly off -kilter, which is

I'm shining a spotlight on what just happened. Okay, this is all strategy. In a matter of minutes, did you notice?

Todd Freel took someone who was angry, hostile, and calling him stupid, got her to calm down and to agree with his characterization of faith on both sides of the fence, right?

Hers and his. How does that happen? That's the question. This reminds me actually of a passage from Paul, okay?

Take a look at this. This is 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Let me start at verse two here.

I beg of you that when I am present, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

Now, isn't that interesting? What is the desire of the flesh? Paul goes on to say in Galatians 5, it includes fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions, okay?

So then what are we doing when we engage others for Christ?

Paul goes on to say this, verse four. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We, here it is, we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

Christ. Now, I've done a video on this previously, on this passage right here, 2

Corinthians 10, looking at what it means when Paul talks about destroying strongholds and taking captives.

I encourage you to check it out, okay? But the point is, our goal is not to clash with people, but with their ideas.

I'm gonna let that one sit. The ideas that hold people captive to false idolatry and false worship, we clash with that, not them, amen?

And if we can truly understand what that means, then we can do two things at the same time.

We can destroy arguments and love the people that are imprisoned by those same arguments.

On the outside, it appears that these strongholds are the same thing as the person, but the

Bible creates this distinction for us, and it does so for a reason. It's so that we never forget to love the people that we're talking to, to pray for even our greatest enemies.

So again, very practically, how do you do that? How, in the heat of the moment, do you not wage war according to the flesh?

So stick with me, I'm gonna show you in a moment. Let's go to the next video. So I'm as Christian as anybody you know, okay?

So let's clarify, you're a Christian, I'm a Christian. Are you a Latter -day Saint? Absolutely.

How are you a Christian, then? So is a Christian somebody who believes in Jesus Christ?

Is a Christian somebody who believes that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem? He was the son of Mary, the only begotten of the

Father, the Son of God? Is he Lucifer's brother? Yes. Okay.

Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait. That's a different Christ. Okay, that, that, I would say that, I would say that that is equal to, for you to say that to me would be equal to the

Pharisees using words and manipulating me. Why? Because I reject it, so here's the deal.

Well, let's talk about that, though. Let's talk about this. Notice the hand is right in Durbin's face, okay?

You see that? Now, the tone and the tenor of this person's voice, it does some work to undermine the non -verbals.

I'm just pointing out the non -verbals at this particular moment. The finger is like right in the face of Durbin, and it helps to illustrate the challenge that's taking place.

These two are clashing over the fundamental differences between their faiths. Jeff Durbin is a traditional

Christian, and this Latter -day Saint is not. He's not like Durbin, both in faith tradition and overall worldview.

In other words, these are two different religions. And again, I'm pointing this out, not to refute

LDS theology, although I'm pretty sure there are videos I have in my library on this channel where you can see that more clearly.

And by the way, I'm 100 % on Durbin's side. I'm not an LDS. I'm a Christian and a Protestant. But all

I want to do is I simply want to point out that the stakes are incredibly high, and the emotions can get all mixed up really quickly in situations like this, okay?

Thankfully, Durbin is a walking masterclass in keeping your cool and remaining composed when it comes to stuff like this, most of the time.

So let's see what happens next. So the Jesus I believe in was born in Bethlehem.

His mother was Mary. Well, is it Bethlehem or Jerusalem? Because the

Book of Mormon says Jerusalem, but the Bible says Bethlehem. No, that's not true. It says at Jerusalem, which is near to or close to.

No, that's not true. That is true. I don't know how the Jews interpreted it. Do you remember when they said

Jesus was from Nazareth, and the Jews says he can't be the Messiah because he has to come from Bethlehem? Nazareth is in the vicinity of Bethlehem in the same way that -

In the Book of Mormon, it says he was born at Jerusalem. Yeah. What does at mean?

But that contradicts the scriptures. No, it doesn't. It does. No, because what's at? No, it does. What does at mean?

In the place of? It is near to. Well, except the problem is is the Jews didn't interpret the scriptures.

Let's not ogre over that. What, did you notice that - All Mormons - Do you notice when a Christian tries to address the issue, you won't allow the answer to come forward.

I'm sorry. Okay, so the Jews didn't take that interpretation of vicinity of or around, because when

Jesus was said to be from Nazareth, they almost rejected him because they said he was from Nazareth, because they said the

Messiah had to come from, according to Micah 5, Bethlehem. I understand what you're saying, but - So the idea of vicinity didn't work for them.

Some of this audio issue is just the video. I don't think it's me at all. The Jews. Well, let's just get this straight, okay?

All letters to the saints believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.

Okay. Okay? The Book of Mormon, the way that it is translated in the Book of Mormon, says the, so let's not,

I would think we're getting down to - No, no, that's fine. I'm saying, I'm making a point of - We're pinned, but yeah, but I think your point's inaccurate.

I reject it. Okay, so how about this? The Jesus of Mormonism - So I mentioned a moment ago that I'm not gonna focus on explicit refutations, and as I'm watching

Durbin here, I'm just reminded that I don't need to, you know? I mean, you can just watch how these men respond.

They're knowledgeable about the subject that they're engaging, both Freel and Durbin.

They just appear to have more than a cursory level knowledge of Islam and LDS teaching, and it gives them an advantage, because guess what?

They're not caught by surprise. They're not. So again, if you're wondering, how can

I do this, especially in my own circles of influence around me? Maybe you have Muslims or LDS folks near you where you live, okay?

I'm gonna point out some very clear observations in a moment. I'm actually already starting to name them a little bit, and I'll circle back around at the end and just explicitly talk about them, but all of these things, they're connected to scripture, you know?

Durbin reminds me of the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 17. Look what

Paul did, as a matter of fact, with the Athenians at the Areopagus in Acts 17, verse 28.

Look at this. So he's engaging folks, but look what he says here.

For in him, this is Paul talking to the Athenians, we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring.

So if you notice, there are two references here made by Paul that these references are not connected to anything else in the teaching of scripture.

The first reference is found in the writings of Epimenides, and the second one is in Eratos's writing.

It's in a poem that he wrote. Will you realize what this means? It means that Paul read secular and false religious writings on top of his study of God's word.

Why did he do that? Why did he do that? Apparently, so he could be knowledgeable and engage folks at their level.

By the way, it's not just the Apostle Paul that advocated for something like this. Augustine did the same thing, guys, and he taught his students to pay close attention to the orders of their day.

That's what Durbin's doing. Durbin knows what the Book of Mormon teaches, you know?

I'm not familiar with a lot of his ministry, but I'll bet he knows what Doctrines and Covenants says.

I'll bet he knows what the Pearl of Great Price says. You know, it's funny, a long time ago, a youth pastor reached out to me, and he wanted me to talk to his youth group about engaging the lost for Christ.

This was in Vegas. And so we were planning the event, and I pitched him this idea of allowing me to stand up in front of the students and pretend to be an

LDS missionary. And he said, yes. So I show up that night in my best suit and tie, and I walked in,

I brought in my, I think I have it here, I brought in my ESV interleaved study

Bible, which is a beast, it's like this thick, because it was the only thing that's so thick that could pass for the

Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. You know what I mean? Well, it's funny if you know what

I'm talking about. Anyway, this is biblical, ladies and gentlemen. Durbin is knowledgeable because he's following the model of Paul in the

Bible, so. No, no, no, wait. Is it just born in, well, let me finish, because I took your point, ready?

So Jesus in Mormonism is one God among a pantheon of gods. He's one God among many.

He is Lucifer's brother. He is the offspring of Elohim and one of his wives. The Jesus of John chapter one is the eternal

God, always existent, and he created everything in existence, including Satan. That's not the same

Jesus. That's an idol, much like. So here's the deal. Doctrinally, me and you disagree.

What would you say to that, though? I just gave you a text. I reject it, because I think you're. You reject the text. I reject your interpretation of the text.

I'll quote it. And I'll tell you why. I reject your interpretation of the text. Okay. I just read it.

I quoted it. Okay, because listen, you, I believe. He's mad.

He's upset. And the hand now is back in Durbin's face, you know, near his chest, right?

Now, this is what I mean, you know? When someone is upset and things are getting heated, well, notice what

Durbin is not doing, okay? Durbin is not getting upset. He's not losing his cool.

He's not calling him names. He's not backing down. He's actually, he's completely unfazed at some of the things this

LDS is telling him, whereas I suspect a lot of others would get upset.

You know, they'd huff and puff, and then they'd walk away shaking their heads, you know? And the question is, why, though?

Like, what does Durbin know that a lot of us don't know? Is there some secret to being this way?

Well, I don't think it's a secret, but there is a strategy going into something like this. In other words, you can't just decide at the last second, having never prepared for anything like this, to all of a sudden go on the street and just engage someone like this

LDS person, or even the way that Friel did with the Muslim woman, and be as engaging and effective.

I've already pointed one thing out, okay? They know things about the faith that they're engaging, right?

I mean, the clues are there. They know what's going on with Islam. They know what's going on with LDS theology.

That requires prep. That requires taking the requisite time necessary to become familiar with those you would engage, right?

I mean, that makes sense, right? Because I think what a lot of us do here, that's why I'm mentioning this, is we look at this and we go, oh, wow, look at them on the fly.

No. This is a debate move, ladies and gentlemen. These guys, so I don't know if they have formal training at all, but they are acting like debaters on stage.

And like I said, I'm gonna point this out. I'm gonna give you some tips at the end of this video that will help you do exactly what Friel and Durbin do well.

So let's keep going. That Jesus Christ is the son of God. The literal offspring.

The literal offspring. I know you don't believe that. That's why you're not Christian. No, that's incorrect.

That's incorrect. So the Jesus Christ I believe in, he was born in Bethlehem. You've said that, yes.

His mother's Mary. Did Heavenly Father have sex with Mary to produce Jesus? Not that I know of.

Well, Brigham Young taught that he did. Well, I don't know.

Either way, so listen. So listen. So listen, just disagree with me where you can, right?

Gotcha. So the Jesus Christ. So at this point, I'm out. If I'm there that night, this is happening,

I'm out, okay? This person, the

LDS, should be having a moment right now, right about now, where they kind of just step outside of this whole situation and just evaluate for a nanosecond what's going on in this moment.

And if they are having this moment, they should immediately realize that Jeff Durbin knows more than they do about aspects of their faith.

Doesn't mean that Jeff Durbin is right in his conclusions, okay? Although I think Jeff is completely right. But this is a moment where you quickly realize who you're dealing with.

Because a genuine seeker of truth would say, hold on a second.

Brigham Young said that Heavenly Father had sex with Mary? Okay, that's interesting. Tell me more. Wait a second.

The Jews didn't actually think that the phrase at would have been a sufficient descriptor for the location of Jesus' birth?

And there's biblical examples of this, you say? Tell me more. Instead, so that's not happening.

Instead, we have someone who is reeling, and you can just see it.

The gears are turning. He's flipping through the Rolodex of possible responses that can get him out of this situation and end with some kind of zinger that stops

Durbin from advancing his view. In this moment, if I were there, I would call this out.

I would say, hey, you know what? Are you genuinely interested in seeking truth right now? Or are you merely interested in being right?

That's actually a valid question that can be posed to anyone on whatever side of the fence that you sit.

Because like I said, the evidence of this man's behavior is he's more interested in making his point instead of considering something that might challenge his beliefs.

Now, I get it. This happens in the heat of the moment, okay? Christians are guilty of this just as much as anybody else.

So it's not like I'm trying to suggest that this is an LDS problem. It's not an LDS problem. This is a human being problem, and it can be mitigated if we seek to understand how

God wants us to engage others. There is scriptural teaching on this, guys. That's why

I'm making this video. I got one more for you, and then we'll get into some tactics. Let's take a look at this.

This is Cliff Connectly. Jesus Christ is God. How come God sends, after so many years, another messenger to other people?

That messenger, you know what I'm talking about. If Jesus himself, or you claim that Jesus is

God, how come that God sends another messenger with a different religion to all?

Islam, right? Is that, that's where he's going.

God sent Muhammad as another messenger. That's, right? Isn't that what he, this man is presupposing?

Other society to another kind of, how, where is that? What is the argument here?

Great point. Well, every point is great for you, but let's talk. Let's, I mean, let's make some logic.

If you studied logic. So he's belittling Connectly a little bit, you know?

But it's playful, so this is more like poking, right? Now, even here, look, look at Connectly.

Chuckling, right? Taking it all in stride, but he got jabbed a bit, okay? But he wouldn't, this would not be his response, if he was upset with this man.

If he was upset, we would see another facial expression altogether. We would see, you know, a scowl and make a shaking of the head and perhaps, you know, yelling or name -calling, right?

Connectly is not upset with this man. As a matter of fact, he's so far from being upset with this man, he's actually having fun.

Like in the face of a heated exchange. How do we do this, ladies and gentlemen? How do we do this in our own circles?

And before you say to yourself, oh, Nate, you know what? I'm an introvert, okay? This kind of stuff, that's for extroverted

Christians. I'm gonna gently ask you, where does the Bible teach that engaging others is only for those extroverted

Christians? Where does the Great Commission say, get out there and make disciples, but hey, you know what?

If you're an introvert, you get a free pass. Just go ahead and sit down, take a seat, give the ball to Connectly.

He likes that kind of stuff, so just give it to him, right? It doesn't say that. So if we're all on the hook, look, here's the thing, guys.

We're all about to head into some very awkward situations with friends and family for the holidays, aren't we?

Right? Shouldn't we be ready? I think so. And I think these men are gonna help us, okay?

We're almost done and then we're gonna wrap up. Let's go with logic, you know? Logic. If God, if Christ is

God, how come that God sends a messenger with a different religion to another part of the world, another human?

You bet. How come that? Real simple. If Jesus spoke the truth.

He did. Then Muhammad is not from God. What's that?

What's that? Hey, you're contradicting my question here.

You're contradicting my question. Listen, Jesus always spoke the truth. Yes. How come

Jesus sends, as you claim it, that's my point here. If you claim, that's big point here.

If you claim that the Lord Jesus Christ is God and God, Jesus, speaks the truth or God speaks the truth to your knowledge, how come that Jesus or that God sends another messenger?

That's, that's - It's real simple. The premise of the question is flawed. Okay, so he's off on the wrong foot from the word go, right?

And he's getting animated as Kinectly answers the question. So again, just watch how

Kinectly responds to this. Sir, if Jesus, it's real simple. Yes. If Jesus spoke the truth.

He did. Anybody who contradicts him is not speaking the truth. You're, you're not, you're not listening.

Hey, hey, hey. Wait, wait, wait. How am I missing your point? You're not answering my question here, class.

I answered it straight up. How? How? If Jesus spoke the truth.

Yes. Anybody who contradicts Jesus is not speaking the truth. Two contradictory ideas cannot be equally true.

Well, let's talk, let's talk about my example here. Well, there are arguments about how come

Jesus sends Muhammad the messenger to other, to other society. Obviously, I don't believe

Muhammad spoke from God because he contradicts Jesus. Oh, you're telling me, you're telling me that this part of Christianity exists only on this world.

There are more Islamic people than Christian on earth. What are you saying here?

Good, great question. Changing the subject. Started with a false premise. Realized it wasn't going anywhere.

Changed the subject. Bandwagon fallacy. Appealing to the crowds. All right, look,

I said I wasn't going to refute anything in this video, and here I go. Connectly knows what to do. I just need to be quiet.

What I'm saying is majority opinion does not determine truth. There it is.

I am standing here saying, if there are more Christians in America than non -Christians, it doesn't make Jesus Christ true.

If there are more Muslims than Christians, it doesn't make Islam true. If there are more Christians than Muslims, it doesn't make Jesus Christ true.

Truth stands on its own, separate from majority opinion. You're ignoring the human being.

They are like you. Those people are like you, you know? What do you mean?

The other religions, the other people from other religions are like you. Yeah, we're all humans.

Okay. Are you telling me that they don't have a religion? Are you telling me that they don't have a religion?

The language barrier is obviously, it's tough. It's causing a lot of this issue.

So God, are you saying that they don't, just because they don't believe in, I can't say the word, but are you saying that they are in a different world?

Are you telling me that? All right, I'll just quote Jesus for you, okay? We know, we know, I'm sorry.

I know, we know the quotations, we know that. We know that, we know that.

Back to the, excuse me. All right, Jesus says in Matthew 7, 15, watch out for false prophets.

They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they approach you. But my question, my question is telling you that he himself is

God. He made this happen. How come he says this false thing?

Well, obviously, I'm disagreeing with your assumption. Who did, if he didn't? That God sent Muhammad.

Obviously, that's what I disagree with. Who did? Who did? Yeah. I think,

I lean towards believing Muhammad sent himself. Oh. Okay, how come?

No, let's continue. He sent himself? Uh -huh. And billions of people believed him?

Uh -huh. Come on. Okay, okay. That doesn't make sense.

What do you mean? It's probably sensible. Jesus sent you, right? Yeah, so at this point, it's appropriate to call out what's happening.

All right, so I teach a method of engaging folks for Christ. And one of the things that I say to do is when something like this happens, you should narrate the conversation back to the person that you're talking to, okay?

Clearly, there's a language barrier, so that plays into some of this confusion.

But also, there are one or more flawed assumptions that must be identified, or else the conversation's dead in the water.

I mean, if I were Connectly, I'd say, look, you asked a question, assuming something that is not true, that Jesus sent

Muhammad. Not only do I reject that, but Christians everywhere reject this notion, particularly because it's found nowhere in the scripture which we take to be our authority.

So you made this assumption, and then I answered your question pointing out that I reject your assumption, and now you're doubling down on your assumption.

So the problem is not with my answer, it's with your assumption. Correct your assumption, and you'll understand my answer, right?

And if that is not sufficient, I'd probably just say, look, think about what

I said, and let's talk again later, right? Move on to somebody else in the crowd, because there's this thing that happens to people, and let's face it, it's usually men, okay?

For some reason, I don't know why, it's guys. This happens to guys. They get locked in on something.

They're like a hound after a fox, you know what I mean? They're not gonna let up for anybody.

It doesn't matter what you say, you know what I mean? It's kind of like the LDS guy from the previous video, okay?

All right, look, that's enough out of the videos. Let's get into the tips here, okay? Let me circle back around.

We'll do the final lap. Stick with me, because I'm gonna give you a couple of pieces here, okay? Let me rephrase the question one more time.

How can Todd Friel, Jeff Durbin, and Cliff Connectly remain this level -headed, and also be engaging, and think of challenging things to respond with just like that, in real time, during, by the way, such a heated type of exchange?

There are three things to note here, and if I were in front of a room, I'd tell you to write this down, okay?

So first, these men don't just know what they believe.

They know why they believe it, all right? They know the why so well that they can explain why they believe what they believe in the middle of a tense situation.

That means they've not only investigated these things, they've spent a lot of time learning a lot of information, but this also leads to the second thing.

They've prepared ahead of time for these challenges. In other words, they've given a lot of time and put a lot of thought into what they would say in these moments before they actually had them, which means that they've actually run through scenarios like this in the past.

I have a mentor who admits that he often will listen to something on the radio, right?

Especially like boilerplate issues, things that people disagree on, and, or it's like a podcast or something, and then he'll turn it down or he'll like press pause, and then he'll talk out loud what his response will be in the moment, like as if he were actually in the room.

To anyone else, like looking from the outside in, this would look like a crazy person talking to themselves, but my mentor does this all the time.

I do this all the time, right? But in reality, especially on the debate stage, we call this prep, and it's absolutely valuable to folks who want to engage like this with other people.

It's valuable for you, okay? These guys, right, they've probably done a bit of role -playing as well, or they've just gotten out there and gotten some reps in with other people.

You know, they've just done it over and over and over again, and those reps probably never got filmed, okay? And all of this led to building their skillsets so that they could be the type of people that we are witnessing now, that we are benefiting from now.

Level -headed, calm, still very quick on their feet while being challenged, and some of these people are actually calling them names to their face, right?

So I actually learned this in an entirely different way. So a long time ago, I used to be one of the managers of the

Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. One of the things that became easy for me to handle over time was crisis situations, you know?

Situations where everything would go incredibly wrong, right, and then because you're the manager, everything falls on your shoulders to make it right, you know?

I got different departments coming at me. I got guests, you know, players, pit bosses, everybody coming at me with their various problems.

People are screaming and upset. I got spit on one time by someone who was so irate, you know?

And what did I have to do? I had to just wipe it off and keep going. You know what I mean? The first time

I went through that, on the first day this happened, I thought it was the end of the world. But the more you get the reps, the more it happens, and the more you endure it, the more you walk through it, the easier it is to fall back on a strategy that you've already thought out and to fall back on talking points that you've used before, because guess what?

You thought about this way before these people showed up. And you can remember those, right?

Because you've prepped for this already. So I was talking to William Lane Craig a while back.

I interviewed him about his debate methodology and his experience, you know, stuff like that.

One of the things that I asked him about was his prep. What did his prep for debate look like? You know what he told me?

He said, so it's very meticulous, okay? A lot of notes. Sometimes he'll get people to help him, you know?

He's like, so he has like a kind of a study team, or I don't know if he'd characterize it that way. But the point is, his goal on the debate stage is to never be caught by surprise.

Never be caught by surprise. So that requires heavy research on the topic, up for discussion, but also research into the specific arguments and the ways that opponents will engage you, right?

So if you put all this together, you're prepping for the topic and you're prepping for your opponent, and you're practicing in other situations so that the knowledge that you've gained flows easily no matter what happens, okay?

This is just like what first responders do, right? They run drills every now and then so they can stay quick in real emergency situations, and you can do this too.

As a matter of fact, I encourage you to do this. And not just alone, by the way, at your church in various groups.

I used to do this when I was a pastor. I used to take my young adult group back in the day, and we would engage difficult challenges, and we'd get into spirited discussions, you know?

And you can do the same thing in whatever circles that you run, all right?

And I encourage it. Earlier, I gave you a couple of Bible verses, right? 2 Corinthians 10,

Acts 17. If you notice, by the way, Paul got his reps in, didn't he?

Look again at Acts 17 with me real quick. Verse two, so it's right at the top here.

Look what it says here. And Paul went in as was his custom, guys.

And on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures, the Jews, when he would go to the synagogues.

That was Paul's model. By the way, once again, gotta tell you about Logos real quick. Love this app.

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It's logos .com forward slash wise disciple. All right, again, look at Paul.

If you pay close attention to Paul's ministry, he's doing this all the time. He's getting in his reps all the time.

He knows how to engage and in what way he should engage different kinds of people.

That's why he says later in 1 Corinthians 9, he says, verse 20, "'To the

Jews I became as a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law, though not myself being under the law, that I might win those under the law.

To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law.

To the weak, I became weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means

I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may share with them in its blessings.'"

This is also how Paul can say in Colossians 4, to sprinkle your words with salt so that you may know how to answer each person.

If you really think about that, what Paul is implying is, really, different people with different backgrounds and experiences and beliefs require different words.

Think about that. They require a different style, a different approach.

Now, at base, it's the same gospel message, right? But the road to the gospel is left to you to be wise and to determine how you should proceed.

That's why you don't find the same script in the Bible, you know, when you see people engage in the loss for Jesus Christ, particularly in the

New Testament. That's why you find Peter saying something slightly different than Paul, and Paul saying something slightly different than Philip, right?

All of this requires you to slow down, my friend. I know some of you are eager to get out there and engage others, you know?

You've got a bit of knowledge and you're smarter than the average Christian bear. Praise God. But you need to be familiar with whom you're engaging.

And that requires some prep. It requires the requisite time to learn, to be a student, to continue to be a student.

And I would argue this all falls under the category of loving

God with all your mind. Now, let me answer a question that I asked earlier.

How can all of these men remain so level -headed, right? And calm? And I think we've already touched on a lot of the answer.

They're prepared, okay? That's the one thing that you remember out of this entire video. That's fine by me.

They've already thought through the scenario before it happened. And they have a plan that they know will carry them through the encounter.

Have you ever seen the Sherlock Holmes movie, the one with Robert Downey Jr., where he's boxing, but before he realizes, like, so he wants to take his opponent out.

And before anything happens, he thinks in his mind what's gonna happen in slow motion, and then he does it, right?

That's kind of like what I'm referring to, you know? That also entails, if you really think about this, going into every single moment with intentionality, not accidentally backing into a situation and then realizing later, oh my gosh, this is a

God moment, oops. No, no, no, you don't find yourselves in those situations like that, right?

Because then you're gonna struggle, you're gonna panic, you're gonna lose your emotion and you're cool, right?

No, all of these men went into these situations expecting things to go wrong, expecting people to be heated, expecting people to get angry and even call them names.

And they already had a plan and a message that they prepared for such a time as this. Do you understand what

I'm saying? You wanna be like them, be prepared. This reminds me of actually when

Jesus, he warns his disciples in John, take a look at this.

If they persecuted, this verse 20, if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Jesus already here is preparing us for these moments. If we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, this is not a question of if you will be persecuted or if people are gonna come at you this way, it's a question of when and when it happens, be ready.

Know what you believe and why you believe it. That's also 1 Peter 3 .15, right?

Guys, it's everywhere in the scripture. Finally, I think these men are not representing themselves and they know it.

These men are representing Jesus Christ. That means their character is on the line.

That's why they don't get angry. That's why they don't slander or call names or belittle or whatever expression of the flesh that you can think of.

It's because character matters. There is no such thing as the ends justifying the means in the

Christian scheme. You know? I don't know Freel, I don't know Durbin, I don't know

Keneckley. I'm probably not even pronouncing his name correctly. Keneckley correctly. But since they're

Christians, I know they want the same thing I want. Beneath it all, they wanna be able to hear this.

Look at this. Well done, Matthew 25, verse 23.

Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much.

Enter into the joy of your master. Well done. Luke 6, verse 40 says that the ultimate outcome of following after Jesus and learning from him as your teacher is that you become like him.

That's the goal of a true disciple of Jesus. Paul says it this way. We are to be conformed to the image of the son.

So I think all these gentlemen, you know, Freel, all these guys, they understand this at some deep level.

They know that your character is just as important to God as your gospel message. Did you hear what

I said? As a Christian, it matters to God who you are just as much as what you say.

And that informs their prep, I think. You know, that informs why they take the extra time to be prepared so that they don't slip into the flesh and look like the rest of the world.

Because let's face it, worldly people can say true things just like a Christian can. Worldly people can quote the scripture just like a

Christian can, but the difference is they can be incredibly vicious when they're saying true things. And God calls us to more than that, ladies and gentlemen.

Jesus says in Matthew 5, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.

But guess what? You can't do that unless you care about the people with whom you're engaging.

And that's the last point here. Why do all these men continue to lean in and to engage with respect?

Even when some of these others clearly got angry, finger in the face, called them names, it's because they care about these people.

If you don't care about someone and they get mad at you and then they spit at you or whatever, you're gonna tell them to go kick rocks, right?

So easy, you know what I mean? But if you genuinely care about the people that you're talking to, by the way, aren't all these men pastors?

I think they are, you know, or former pastors. They have that pastoral experience, you know? And I think it shows, right?

Pastors spend a lot of time with people. They get into their lives. They have a heart to serve, you know?

They care for the sheep that God gives them. That doesn't mean every person who's calls, you know, they call themselves a pastor, loves their sheep well.

Maybe that's another video for another time, but that's what pastors are supposed to be. And that same pastoral concern, it should come out as you engage others, amen?

The same care and concern that Jesus had when he looked at the lost, it should come out in your engaging.

Look at this. This is the last one I'll share with you, then we'll close. Jesus, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.

This is the quality of character that you need, right? Jesus saw the lost like sheep, and he had a shepherd's heart for them.

That's what these men displayed. These men, they cared about who they're talking to, and we need to do the same thing.

But you won't be able to do that without praying, praying, praying, and asking

God to just break your heart for the lost. Without spending time, you know, serving others and asking for nothing in return, like a pastor, you know what

I mean? See, again, a lot of us get excited because we see brothers like this, and then we get out there, and then, you know, oh man,

I want to be clever like these men. And then we jump out there, no game plan, haven't prepped.

We don't appreciate the quality of character that Jesus calls us to in order to engage others, right?

I mean, the beatitude says it all, ladies and gentlemen. And what do we do? We blow our witness.

If you are the complete opposite of what Jesus describes, of the type of person that he's looking for in the

Sermon on the Mount, in the beatitudes, and you have no care whatsoever to be the type of person that he's describing, you need to close your mouth and not engage anyone.

Because like I said, you're going to, you're going to blow your witness and waste everyone's time.

I promise you. Now, hopefully an older brother has already told you this, so it's not new for you.

But that's the kind of thing that your disciples should have taught you early when you first got saved. Amen?

Because like I said, it's possible to say true things, but if you're a jerk while doing it,

God has no use for you. As a matter of fact, the entire Sermon on the Mount is essentially a contrast between two types of people.

Those who are obeying the law, and completely missing the God behind the law, because their hearts are horrible, and those who will obey the law while also knowing the

God behind the law. Why? Because they seek him with all their heart, because they want to be like him.

They desire to become the type of person that Jesus describes, lowly, humble, incredibly merciful, radical in forgiving others, being peacemakers, and speaking not just the truth, but speaking the truth in love.

You with me? All right. Go get your reps, friends.

Go and prep well, and pray, and pray, and pray, and you'll be ready. Not just for the holidays, but whenever God brings you someone that needs to hear the message of the gospel.

All right, well, now it's your turn, all right? What makes Friel, and Durbin, and Connectly so good at what they do?

You let me know in the comments below. I'd love to get your thoughts. Obviously, you just heard mine. As always, if you made it this far, you gotta come over to the

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