Ray Comfort Interview
EVANGELIST"Put legs to your prayers" – says Ray Comfort
HistoryMakers interviewed Ray who has recently pioneered the fantastic ‘Way of The Master’ course alongside Kirk Cameron.
Ray Comfort has been equipping Christians across the world for more than 30 years. His literature is used by the Moody Bible Institute, Campus Crusade For Christ and the Institute for Scientific & Biblical Research. He has also written more than 60 books and is a regular platform speaker.
HM: Way of the Master season 3 is now available. What is the main difference from the previous episodes?
RC: It’s the same theme running throughout the series (reaching the lost). However, it has jumped up much higher in production value, thanks to some very talented people.
HM: How would you encourage people who don’t feel bold enough to witness to their own friends and family, let alone complete strangers?
RC: The issue isn’t really one of ‘boldness,’ but one of love and compassion. If you saw a woman and her children trapped on the third story of a burning building, it is love and concern that drives you to reach out to rescue her. The Bible says “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire . . .” (Jude 22-23). If you are not concerned for the salvation of others, I’m very concerned for yours.
HM: How effective do you think street preaching is in this fast-paced generation?
RC: A good street preacher can reach more sinners in 30 minutes than the average church does in 30 weeks. Sinners don’t go to church, they go where sin is. They hate the light, and they won’t come to the light in case their sin is exposed. We have to go to them, as we have been commanded to do (see Mark 16:15). If I didn’t believe in open-air preaching, I wouldn’t have stood on a box 5,000 times and done it. It works. Jesus did it, Paul did it, Stephen did it, and Spurgeon did it. So did Wesley, Whitefield and Billy Graham. This fast-paced generation won’t hear the gospel if we don’t take it to them: “And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (Romans 10:14-14).
HM: What makes The Way of the Master method of evangelism so contemporary?
RC: It is relevant because it’s biblical. It speaks to the conscience. Every generation has a conscience that can be awakened by the Law of God (the Ten Commandments). This generation is no different in that respect than any other. Remember, every generation thinks that it’s “modern.” In 20 years time we will look back and laugh at today’s “advanced” technology– like we laugh at “dial-up” connecting for the Internet, audio cassettes and typewriters.
HM: What would you say to Christians who think that The Way of the Master method of evangelism is the only correct method to use?
RC: The question should never be, “Is it the only correct method,” but “Is it biblical?” If it is, then we should use it. If it’s not, it should be discarded, as should every other man-made method.
HM: In your book, God Does Not Believe in Atheists, you discuss the analogy of a painting as evidence of a painter (and thus the creation as evidence of a Creator) as an axiom of reason. Has this proved to be successful?
RC: The building, builder; painting, painter does work. I have watched lights go on in the eyes, where there has been nothing but darkness. I have seen atheists backslide when they hear that. This is because it is biblical: “For every house is built by some man; but He that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4), “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” (Romans 1:20).
HM: What are the most effective facts you use to prove that evolution is nonsense?
RC: The fact that there are no species-to-species transitional forms in the fossil record, the fact that evolution has no explanation for what was “in the beginning” (the initial cause) and how we have ended up with male and female throughout all of creation. Did both male and female of every species evolve together? I have expounded these thoughts in The Charles Darwin Bible (Holman Bible Publishers), due out on Feb. 12th 2009 (Darwin’s 200th birthday).
HM: How essential is prayer in the ministry to which God has called you? Do you have any tips for youngsters on how to improve their prayer lives?
RC: Make sure that you don’t substitute prayer for obedience. Prayer is the oxygen of Christianity, but if we pray without preaching the gospel as we have been commanded to, we are drawing near to God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. Make sure you put legs to your prayers and reach out to those who are going to Hell. A.W. Tozer warned, “Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late-and how little revival has resulted? Considering the volume of prayer that is ascending these days, rivers of revival should be flowing in blessing throughout the land. That no such results are in evidence should not discourage us; rather it should stir us to find out why our prayers are not answered...I believe our problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying; and it simply will not work.... Prayer is never an acceptable substitute for obedience. The sovereign Lord accepts no offering from His creatures that is not accompanied by obedience. To pray for revival while ignoring or actually flouting the plain precept laid down in the Scriptures is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble.”
HM: What has been the most memorable answer to prayer you have experienced since becoming a Christian?
RC: It has been God answering my prayer to raise up labourers. I cried out to God during the early 1980’s for Him to use me to stir up the Church to its moral responsibility to reach the lost. I am overjoyed that our TV program now goes to 70 countries and is on 31 networks. An amazing 22 million of our tracts are sold each year. More than 14,000 sets of our Basic Training Course is being used to train up Christians, and thousands come to our Transformed conferences. It is a great encouragement never to give up praying, and never doubt the faithfulness of God.
