My Rule

Klonopinz · Jun 25, 2017

I am also struggling with this. i find it very hard to share the truth of christ with others, its almost as if they look at me with the same old stigma that is attache to jesus name and their like"oh hes brainwashed" and they proceeed to not pay attention to me because they look at god as a cliche. i try to talk to others who are agnostic or nihilist like my family n friends in a way that seems different than the typical christian preching. it seems to me in this day and age that people are turned off by the old ays theyre use to being preched to about god. i ish i could find a ne way to relate it to them thatfits the modern world or something. its hard. i feel like i dont even wanna try anymore. like screw it theyre on there own. why is it our responsibility to do this for others when they dont even seek out god on there own? like really? i just struggle witht his topic alottttttttttt

Deadworm · Jun 25, 2017

I admire your honesty and don't want to lay a guilt trip for honest confession. I'd just suggest that these are 3 of the most relevant texts to your situation:

(1) "Always be ready to make your defense for anyone who asks from you an accounting for the hope that lies within you; yet do so with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15-16)."
What steps are you taking to obey Peter's command?

(2) "Whoever acts ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also act ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with His holy angels (Mark 8:37)."
Forget about whether you are in effect denying Christ before men. Could anyone construe your privacy about your faith as a sign that you are ashamed for your friends to know what you believe and how importance Jesus is in your life?

(3) "Let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father n heaven.(Matthew 5:16)."
When you perform acts of kindness for others, who gets the credit? Do they just think you are a nice guy, or are they impressed by what God has done in your life? And why would they ever give God the glory for your good works, if you haven't shared your testimony with them?

Christian Counseling Help · Jun 25, 2017

what I do is i'll let it be known in one way or another, never forced, that i am a believer, then try to set a good example of what that should be, and occasionally people will come to me and ask questions. or perhaps i might bring something up in a conversation, but never to sound preachy. i am very careful how i word things and consider my words very carefully before speaking, because my experience with a lot of unbelievers is they have various, sound one might say, reasons for their beliefs: 1) the hardest to win back over are what i like to call "fallen catholics". Those who were raised in a very strict religious upbringing and have grown totally sick of the concept, their new beliefs only strengthened when they see rampant pedophilia in that organisation etc. 2) people who have chosen not to believe because they see there is so much suffering in the world, and if God is omniscient, how could he allow that to happen? 3) Others might see all the wars around the world because of religion, or how many Christians behave.

so they can get quite defensive if you even begin to bring it up. actually, i found in the west, at least in Europe, it seems almost taboo to bring it up, which is why i quite enjoyed passing through many Muslim countries, where talking about God and these matters is a normal subject.

anyway, i believe it is our duty to spread the Word. like Paul talked about that we do not hide our lantern under a bed but show it for all to see, or that we shouldn't be ashamed of Christ, otherwise he might be ashamed of us on judgement day. but i found that i could very carefully drop a few ideas here or there, otherwise set an example, and found that these little seeds of thought actually blossomed over time and made a difference. or one on one i might get direct questions and it's nice to discuss such matters.

but yah, never force it or rant about eternal damnation etc. Just say carefully what you think might have a positive effect.

Winken · Jun 25, 2017

Let your light shine. Be His example of love.

Beaker · Jun 25, 2017

Did you ever read the parable of rich man and the talents? How one man was given Many talents, a second man given fewer and a third only given the one. The first two invested their talentts and more than doubled them, while the third man hid his and gave back to his master the one talent entrusted to him.When the master returned, the 1st 2 men were welcomed with open arms by their lord while the third - the 'lazy' one was cast out.
One of our 'talents' as Christians, is to tell others about Him.Please reconsider your opinion and use your ''talent ' for the good.

rebornfree · Jun 25, 2017

Well, friends are important and we all need human contact, but Jesus is the One who has given us everything good so you could start by thanking Him for your friends.

Also spending time with the Lord - listening to Christian music, reading the Bible and praying (just talking to Him as you would to your friends) might help and don't worry about how you feel. Just continue, day by day, to spend time with Jesus and I think you will find that you get to love Him more than your friends.

(I don't know if this is from the Lord or not but, having had a look at your profile, Psalm 139 came to mind, especially verses 1-18 and 23-24. You might like to read it and ask God if He is speaking that into your life right now.

Remember He is with you always and He loves you dearly.)

timewerx · Jun 25, 2017

Nope, not entirely.... You might be good!

Jesus also hid the Word to some people. This is the reason He spoke in parables....It's not open to interpretation apart from those who belongs to Him. To those who did not belong to Him will NEVER understand its meaning. So you can say, the Bible is like a "cheat sheet" because even those who do not belong to Christ can read what those parables mean.

Ironically, there's underlying meaning to those parables apart from what is explained in the Bible. And many Christians are actually in the dark regarding those meanings because it's NOT written in the Bible!

And Jesus does NOT wish everyone to hear the Word, nor all people to be saved, surprised??

Mark 4:11-12
And He told them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside, everything is expressed in parables, 12so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’

Revelation 22:11-12
Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” 12“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each person according to what he has done.…

Isaiah 6:10
"Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed

dcalling · Jun 25, 2017

It is never our job to force our believes onto other people, that is un-Christian. We trust God is source of all things, and if we preach to others and they believed in God, it is not us but God who does the work.

And if people don't want to listen, we don't force them, we shake dust off our shoes and go on.

But it is definitely our job to preach, that is what Jesus told us to do, and we tell others the word of God and affect their lives with our way of live.

redleghunter · Jun 25, 2017

A good rule to follow is to see what God has revealed. For example this from Ezekiel 33:

Ezekiel 33:1-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Watchman and His Message

33 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ 11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

AFrazier · Jun 25, 2017

I know where you are in this. The way I eventually handled it was to just talk about Christ when the appropriate openings offered themselves, as part of normal conversation. I talk about him matter-of-factly. And I talk about him unapologetically. The way I see it is, if they can talk about sex, violence, drugs, and all other reprobate topics, then I can talk about Christ. I don't particularly like listening to stories of adultery, promiscuity, violence, etc., and I have to endure it all the same. If they don't like to hear about Christ, that's just too bad. Only one person ever voiced an objection. I made them sit back down, and I told that person, "So I had to sit here and listen to you drone on about the girl you did such and such with, and now you want to leave because I mention Jesus? I don't think so. You can sit down and listen to me, since I listened to you."

The bottom line is, if you believe Christ is real, then there should be no shame in talking about him. If your friends can talk about non-Christian stuff, then you can talk about Christian stuff. If they take such offense to the mention of Jesus Christ that they won't be your friend, then maybe you shouldn't be hanging out with them in the first place.

LovebirdsFlying · Jun 26, 2017

It's a balancing act on a very thin, very high wire. Fall off on one side by denying Christ/hiding your light, and fall off on the other side by becoming so annoying and obnoxious with spreading our faith that we drive people away from Him. I like to say that my faith dictates what I will or won't do, but it doesn't expect me to tell others what they can and can't do. I do agree with one friend who recently posted on Facebook that while "I won't do that because it's against my religion" is fair and acceptable, "You can't do that because it's against my religion" is not. Unfortunately, we still get called names like "self-righteous" and "holier than thou" just because we ourselves won't participate in whatever activity.

So is it denying Christ if we don't talk about it? That depends. Everyone who knows me, knows what my beliefs are. My light is right there for all to see. But then that being the case, I don't have to keep mentioning it, do I? Jesus said to let our light shine without hiding it, but when it's shining, people know it, whether we tell them it's shining or not. Therefore, I see no need to talk about it, especially with people who have made it plain they don't want to hear it.

HoleyHermit · Jun 26, 2017

Answering their questions isn't forcing anything on them.

mcarmichael · Jun 26, 2017

You don't have to be crazy to have an opinion about politics or religion.

Catherineanne · Jun 26, 2017

I did.

I always do.

GeorgeJ · Jun 26, 2017

Ain't a thing wrong with what you are doing. A lot of conflict could be resolved if some folks just kept their opinions to themselves.

You still believe, God knows it, and He's the only one that counts....not the opinions of other believers on this forum or anywhere else.

-Hannah- · Jun 26, 2017

Jesus said: «Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge them in the presence of my Father in Heaven.» Matthew 10:32
What an honor to represent Jesus. He will give you compassion instead of shame, for those who mock your faith don't know Him. Sometimes we are unprepared and stay silent, but let this just be a motivation to know Him better and not to hide what He has been doing for us. The Holy Spirit will be there with you.

Beaker · Jun 26, 2017

But we CAN'T forget the next verse Hannah 33But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
Saying nothing is similar to denying.

rockytopva · Jun 26, 2017

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. - Matthew 10:22

You cannot be a disciple of Christ and worry about what men think of you.

Firearms · Jun 26, 2017

This one has been on my mind for years as my behaviors have accumulated into a body of evidence that has begun to bother me. I've always thought I was following the golden rule; I don't want people to bother me with their beliefs, so I do likewise. I want to be left alone and I do likewise for my fellow man.

I've used excuses like the plank of sin in my own eye, to disqualify myself from witnessing to those around me. Ultimately, I really don't want to be bothered, but I do admit to the same preference as the OP, that alienating those around me by evangelizing is not something that interests me.

I think only one guy that I work with knows that I go to church. I know he does too, but we never really talk about this type stuff. Nobody else outside my family would know that I believe Jesus is the Son of the Creator God, the promised Messiah, the Lamb slain for the sin of the world. I don't tell people that I believe what the bible says and that it is the very word breathed by God Himself. I haven't shared with anyone that I believe Jesus was crucified for our sins, that He although being sinless, died a sinner's death, but rose again and was give all authority in heaven and on earth. I haven't told anyone that I believe that God is good, that He is faithful, that He is Love, He is Just, He is Almighty, the source of all glory is in Him and He is the chief treasure in all the universe. I haven't made it a practice to tell people how no one can come to God except through Jesus, His only son. Although I believe that Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father for the glory of His name, I've never spoken of it to anyone. Even though I believe Jesus ascended to the Father so that the Holy Spirit would then be sent to help the church, and I really do believe that the Holy Spirit has worked in my own life, and I could tell of the many things He has done for me, that I could speak forever of His faithfulness to me throughout my life, and that I am ever grateful to Him for all of His influence in my life... I've never shared that to anyone face-to-face. These are only a few of my privately held beliefs.

I have a bible in my office, but it's out of sight and I only read before anyone shows up in the morning. There have been a couple instances where someone walks up on me when I'm reading the bible and surprises me. For whatever reason, I instinctively tossed it out of view and acted like I was doing something else. The fact that I had that reaction, and more than once, bothered me.

I do envy those who are bold enough to share the gospel and freely witness to people. I wish that type of freedom and courage were in me.

If keeping to myself is the same as denying Jesus before men, and if Jesus denying me before the Father in heaven means that He'll send me right to hell, that would mean that I'm destined to everlasting suffering by practicing what I practice. And if that's the case, and since I believe OSAS, that would mean that I'm not currently, and have never been saved, no matter what I might profess to believe.

Additionally, I don't believe we are saved by works, so the act of witnessing does not and will not save me. Changing my practice, running out and witnessing to the world around me would not change my spiritually lost condition.

So...

rebornfree · Jun 26, 2017

Maybe you're trying to run before you can walk. Take the first step, and gradually build on that so you become more comfortable about talking about the Lord. Pray for an opportunity, and courage, to mention that you are a Christian and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I think that once you've done that you will feel better and your friends will know where you're coming from.

Also don't feel that you have to give the whole gospel in one go; it may be appropriate to do so, and that's great, but don't force it if they don't want to hear it as that may put them off. Instead pray that they will change their minds. When you do talk about it I would concentrate on the love of God, in sending Jesus to die for our sins, so that we can have a fulfilled life here and be with Him for eternity. You might want to mention that the alternative would be extremely bad, but I wouldn't start with talking about hell, but about the Lord and His love. Also when mentioning being sinners, I always find it best to say that "we" are rather than "you" are. HTH :prayer:

My Rule

New Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Heimat

Junior Member

Senior Veteran

the village i--o--t--

Senior Member

Thank You Jesus!

Well-Known Member

My husband drew this cartoon of me.

Active Member

Novice

Well-Known Member

<Insert Custom Title Here>

Active Member

Junior Member

Love to pray! :)

Newbie

Senior Veteran

Similar threads