Dealing with unbelievers

[battlepig]

hello there,

would any of you reformed folk care to share how you guys relate to unbelievers in your daily lives?

Do you have close unbelieving friends and do you actively seek to get closer to non-christians?

Having only recently come to believe in calvinistic theology, as well as basically taking God seriously, i feel that i', having to reevaluate a lot of how i function socially.


Tips anyone?

 

[eutychus]

I have close unbelieving friends and family, and though it's trying, I try to relate to them as Christ would. I try and serve them, showing them His love, while also telling them about what God has done whenever possible. Every relationship God gives us is a chance to show people who God is.

As a Calvinist, I try to keep in mind that I don't know the fate of the unbelievers around me. I don't know who's elect and who's not, so in my limited view they are all simply people who need to hear about God's love and works.

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

Many of my friends are non-Christians. These are mostly people I work with, but we get together outside of work as well.

I think is it very important to live a Christ like life before them. We are to proclaim the Gospel to our friends like this, but if we are not walking the walk they won't listen to us when we talk the talk.

I think some of the best times to witness is while sitting around the table drinking a cup of coffee or standing around the bed of a truck having a beer after work (I am a Cajun and a Southron blue collar worker).

I think non-believing friends need to know that your friendship is real and not just a ploy to preach at em.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

 

[Acceptance]

This is a good question battlepig. And you're asking the right group (all my real life christian reformed friends are GREAT at doing this -- not overbearing, not threatening, etc). I think the others make very good points about living as an example. People are naturally drawn to you when you seep the love of Christ and I've found just tossing it into daily conversation here-and-there in a casual manner works very well. Letting people know you're open for discussion on the topic is a good first step.

 

[JM]

Because we believe what is clearly stated in the Bible, we need to give the Gospel as it is and allow God's will to be done. That's it.

 

[Knight]

I normally just ignore them. They're not worthy of my attention anyway.....








Just kidding.

I don't think I could add anything to what has already been said. (Except for some small bit of humor )

 

[Iosias]

Because we believe what is clearly stated in the Bible, we need to give the Gospel as it is and allow God's will to be done. That's it.

I agree...we sow the seed and the rest is up to God.

 

[oworm]

Because we believe what is clearly stated in the Bible, we need to give the Gospel as it is and allow God's will to be done. That's it.

So we just walk up to people and hit them right between the eyes with the gospel and leave it at that?

 

[JM]

So we just walk up to people and hit them right between the eyes with the gospel and leave it at that?

Is that what you got from what I wrote? Remember the op...

 

[cygnusx1]

So we just walk up to people and hit them right between the eyes with the gospel and leave it at that?

I think people respond best to Love...................just an observation

 

[BronxBriar]

Great Posts!!!

 

[jbarcher]

No presup. apologists here?

The biggest and most common "relation" to others--everyone, in fact, is the life I live.

The second is of a more tense relationship; your worldview versus mine, even though I love and respect you. I go to a secular school, and ideas conflict in the classroom every day. And as a (read: the only) Christian who knows what he believes, and why he believes it, this is my battleground.

 

[McWilliams]

Well, there's an old saying that, 'Your life speaks so loudly that I cant hear what you say!' Meaning, of course that we should practice what we preach!

Scripture tells us that 'we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.'2 Cor 5:20

That makes our responsibility pretty clear when you consider the words 'implore' and that it is as though God is pleading with them through us. God will bring His own to Himself but He uses means, thats us, to accomplish this!
Then also in 2 Timothy 4:2 we are told to 'convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your testimony.'

Obviously, ours is not to be a passive role, just 'living the life', but taking an active role in being sure others know the gospel!