....There is no contradiction between telling everyone we can and the fact that God’s irresistible grace draws those whom He has called. We aren’t to preach pre-destination, we are to preach Christ crucified and risen. We are not to guard the Gospel Story for ourselves but to tell as many as we can. The invitation to believe is extended to all. Those who seek will find, that’s a promise from the highest authority. People need to be told that very thing, if they search for God they will find Him. The Gospel is like an open door above which reads: Enter All Who Will....
....All who seek find but after the fact it can be realized that even the seeking was an act of God upon the heart. Above the open door is an invitation to all but once through, looking back we can read above the lintel: Chosen From the Foundation of the World. It turns out that it was wholly and completely God’s work from the very beginning.
It wasn’t until I understood the Doctrines of Grace that I had the courage and confidence to share the truths of Scripture. Knowing that His sheep WILL hear and respond to the Master’s voice made all the difference.
You miss the entire point - it's very simple. The joy of the Calvinist is to act on the Father's will. Christ said "Go ye into all the nations...". And so we go...
If you can't accept that, then, methinks you be merely a rabble rouser...
Election, Grace, Predestination, etc. are not a problem for me because of my realization of one thing. Before God made even a grain of sand or a drop of water, He KNEW that the result would be that Adam would rebel, and that mankind would need a Saviour; hence....
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you...
Before God created anything, He KNEW who would accept His offer of Salvation and who would reject it; and in His Sovereign Will, he went ahead and did it.
It is strictly up to each individual. Some will accept and trust Christ. Some will reject Him. God knew how it would turn out. But the responsibility for their choice is strictly that of each individual. It’s 100% free will.
“Calvangelism. Does Evangelism Work With Calvinism?”
Of course it does.
http://evangelismexplosion.org/
Started by the late great PCA teaching elder D. James Kennedy.
Calvinists have historically been strong evangelists because a) God commands that we do so and b) evangelism is as much for the benefit of the evangelizer as the evangelee. It sanctifies those who do it.
If I thought that someone's salvation depended on my exact and proper presentation of the Gospel message I would be paralyized with fear!
What if I said something wrong? What if I didn't say the right thing? That poor sould would be lost all because I screwed up.
I have seen nonbelieves come to Christ after pure gibbersh, and others walk away after the most polished presentation possible.
The Canons of Dort say this:
"This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of His good pleasure sends the gospel."(II/5).