How can I help convince a person to follow Christ if my actions probably stumbled a person ?

mikeforjesus

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A sinner can still have a chance to repent to be saved even though he can hurt others by first comforting someone that died by suicide after drug overdose in preaching universalism and then realising one mistake goes back to preaching hell can one preach any hope of salvation for one who died of suicide ? I think if one died a believer who may have had an excuse for not being reached to if his heart is good and repented maybe he could be saved because he was never reached to and God knows he may truly be repentant of one sins if he was preached to good and God alone knows one heart if one was not reached to but sinners have to repent or I could preach if a sinner is not truly sorry that is their fault they may die early for practicing sin but they will only be judged if they love their sin and hate God without a cause but I don’t think that that is true. For it seems unfair that no one would reach that person to be more convinced one needs Christ even if one did not seek before. For someone that offended a person like that by being insensitive to preach the truth I can harm a person and cause one to die yet I can repent. How can I even be sure there is truly a chance for me to repent

It was wrong for me to do what I did

But I suppose there is a chance and people need to accept that others had their chance so can’t use that as an excuse and accept the hard truth


In the book of proverbs and wisdom of Solomon God seems unforgiving yet He said in the prophets He would accept sinners if they returned to Him and He forgave David sin in proverbs it says he who commits adultery does not know the guests of the sinner are in the depths of hell many times implying it can’t be forgiven yet the prophets promise in the new covenant he will not remember sins and forgive sinners who are described as worse than Sodom and God would have accepted sodom if they repented and forgave Nineveh.


But this comes from the wisdom of Solomon. I think there may be hope for one to repent but how can one actually be righteous after sins such as mine commited. If my repentance can truly be accepted which I suppose it can be I am merciful to myself yet I am not sure it will be accepted and I can convince others I care about them the bible says the righteous falls seven times and gets up again I feel my fall can not allow me to rise to be vindicated I know I am to love my neighbor as I love my brother I thought I have to tell the truth but I truly wonder if I can love a God that lets people go to hell without being reached through others mistakes and whether I can trust in Him to save me if He is like that a God who does not care about people who are trying to repent to make me without fault not to make others stumble

I don’t follow the church but one said our life and death is with our brother

Life as the Ungodly See It
Wisdom 1:16
But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death;considering him a friend, they pined away,and they made a covenant with him,because they are fit to belong to his party.


Wisdom 2:1-24
1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,"Short and sorrowful is our life,and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end,and no one has been known to return from Hades.2 Because we were born by mere chance,and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been;because the breath in our nostrils is smoke,and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts.3 When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes,and the spirit will dissolve like empty air. 4 Our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will remember our works; our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud,and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat.5 For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow,and there is no return from our death,because it is sealed up and no one turns back.6 "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist,and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.7 Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,and let no flower of spring pass by us.8 Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.9 Let none of us fail to share in our revelry,everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment,because this is our portion, and this our lot.10 Let us oppress the righteous poor man;let us not spare the widow nor regard the gray hairs of the aged.11 But let our might be our law of right,for what is weak proves itself to be useless.12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;he reproaches us for sins against the law,and accuses us of sins against our training.13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;15 the very sight of him is a burden to us,because his manner of life is unlike that of others,and his ways are strange.16 We are considered by him as something base,and he avoids our ways as unclean;he calls the last end of the righteous happy,and boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;18 for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.19 Let us test him with insult and torture,that we may find out how gentle he is,and make trial of his forbearance.20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death,for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
Error of the Wicked
21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,for their wickedness blinded them,22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God,nor hope for the wages of holiness,nor discern the prize for blameless souls;23 for God created man for incorruption,and made him in the image of his own eternity,24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world,and those who belong to his party experience it.
The Destiny of the Righteous
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,and no torment will ever touch them.2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,3 and their going from us to be their destruction;but they are at peace.4 For though in the sight of men they were punished,their hope is full of immortality.5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;6 like gold in the furnace he tried them,and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,and will run like sparks through the stubble.8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples,and the Lord will reign over them for ever.9 Those who trust in him will understand truth,and the faithful will abide with him in love,because grace and mercy are upon his elect,and he watches over his holy ones.10 But the ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves,who disregarded the righteous man and rebelled against the Lord;11 for whoever despises wisdom and instruction is miserable. Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable,and their works are useless.12 Their wives are foolish, and their children evil;13 their offspring are accursed For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled,who has not entered into a sinful union;she will have fruit when God examines souls.14 Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed, and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord;for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness,and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord.15 For the fruit of good labors is renowned,and the root of understanding does not fail.16 But children of adulterers will not come to maturity,and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish.17 Even if they live long they will be held of no account,and finally their old age will be without honor.18 If they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation in the day of decision. 19 For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.1 Better than this is childlessness with virtue,for in the memory of virtue is immortality,because it is known both by God and by men.2 When it is present, men imitate it,and they long for it when it has gone;and throughout all time it marches crowned in triumph,victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.3 But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root or take a firm hold.4 For even if they put forth boughs for a while,standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.5 The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity,and their fruit will be useless,not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing.6 For children born of unlawful unions are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them.7 But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.8 For old age is not honored for length of time,nor measured by number of years;9 but understanding is gray hair for men,and a blameless life is ripe old age 10 There was one who pleased God and was loved by him,and while living among sinners he was taken up.11 He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile deceive his soul.12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind. 13 Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord,therefore he took him quickly from the midst of wickedness. 15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, nor take such a thing to heart,that God's grace and mercy are with his elect,and he watches over his holy ones 16 The righteous man who has died will condemn the ungodly who are living, and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous man.17 For they will see the end of the wise man,and will not understand what the Lord purposed for him,and for what he kept him safe.18 They will see, and will have contempt for him, but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.After this they will become dishonored corpses,and an outrage among the dead for ever;19 because he will dash them speechless to the ground, and shake them from the foundations; they will be left utterly dry and barren,and they will suffer anguish,and the memory of them will perish.20 They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face. Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence in the presence of those who have afflicted him, and those who make light of his labors.


Wisdom 5
2 When they see him, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,and they will be amazed at his unexpected salvation.3 They will speak to one another in repentance, and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,4 "This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach—we fools!We thought that his life was madness and that his end was without honor. 5 Why has he been numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot among the saints? 6 So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and we journeyed through trackless deserts,but the way of the Lord we have not known.
8 What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?


Wisdom 5
13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be, and we had no sign of virtue to show, but were consumed in our wickedness."14 Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind,and like a light hoarfrost driven away by a storm;it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @mikeforjesus, only the Lord is perfect in all He does. We, on the other hand, need to be honest and transparent about our mistakes, peccadilloes/foibles, and our other shortcomings, particularly with regard to witnessing/evangelism, because honesty (not perfection) is one of the big things that the people who we witness to look for in us, first and foremost. They are looking for people who seem to care about them and treat them like human beings (instead of someone who they sense could care less, someone who is just after another notch on their evangelistic gun handle).

So if you messed up, admit that you did so to the person that you are witnessing to (and then be sure to tell them what you believe now and why :preach:).

As far as convincing people to follow Christ, while we can/should make our best effort to do so, in the end, only the Holy Spirit can actually convince someone to do so.

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - just FYI, I had trouble following what you wrote in your first two paragraphs, as well figuring out exactly what happened and what you did (and therefore, why you are asking the questions that you did). If you could explain it all in a different, slightly clearer way, that would be helpful. Thanks :)
 
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Fervent

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I apologize...I tried to follow your story but I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. As far as I could understand though, I will offer this. Perfect love drives out fear. In our preaching we must be bold and trust the Holy Spirit to speak through us. We can't worry about how it will be received, what sort of consequences may come from it, or fear reproach of some kind. The Word does not return void, so preach it and God's will be done. Your whole duty is to fear God and keep His commands, do that and you will do well.
 
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mikeforjesus

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Hello @mikeforjesus, only the Lord is perfect in all He does. We, on the other hand, need to be honest and transparent about our mistakes, peccadilloes/foibles, and our other shortcomings, particularly with regard to witnessing/evangelism, because honesty (not perfection) is one of the big things that the people who we witness to look for in us, first and foremost. They are looking for people who seem to care about them and treat them like human beings (instead of someone who they sense could care less, someone who is just after another notch on their evangelistic gun handle).

So if you messed up, admit that you did so to the person that you are witnessing to (and then be sure to tell them what you believe now and why :preach:).

As far as convincing people to follow Christ, while we can/should make our best effort to do so, in the end, only the Holy Spirit can actually convince someone to do so.

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - just FYI, I had trouble following what you wrote in your first two paragraphs, as well figuring out exactly what happened and what you did (and therefore, why you are asking the questions that you did). If you could explain it all in a different, slightly clearer way, that would be helpful. Thanks :)

I thought someone was showing signs of suicide risk by my actions in being judgemental for adding the friend in the first place and then offending one on Facebook with my view as I know a family member of his died by drug overdose and on Christian forums teaching no hope for suicides and also unfriending a universalist friend so I seemed like an uncaring person which I thought caused him to react that way I thought by teaching potential universalism I would help the friend know I care about him even though I know it could be wrong I was later convinced scriptures are clear not everyone is saved just as the rich man was not allowed to come from hades to heaven and how people fate seems eternal if it is with the devil forever so I later told one that though I do not know all people fate as God alone can judge if person has factors that seem to give excuse that it is possible we need to know people have free will and have to accept that people make their own decisions
 
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Fervent

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I thought someone was showing signs of suicide risk by my actions in being judgemental for adding the friend in the first place and then offending one oh Facebook with my view as I know a family member of his died by drug overdose and on Christian forums teaching no hope for suicides and also unfriending a universalist friend so I seemed like an uncaring person which I thought caused him to react that way I thought by teaching potential universalism I would help the friend know I care about him even though I know it could be wrong I was later convinced scriptures are clear not everyone is saved just as the rich man was not allowed to come from hades to heaven and how people fate seems eternal if it is with the devil forever so I late told one that though I do not know all people fate as God alone can judge if person has factors that seem to give excuse that it is possible we need to know people have free will and have to accept that people make their own decisions
While personal care and empathy are important, preaching must come from a place of conviction. If you're uncertain on a topic don't preach on it, and definitely don't compromise your preaching for the sake of audience sensibilities. Just preach the gospel, the hope that is in Jesus Christ and His nearness and it will not return void. Who does and doesn't go to hell is only known to God and He didn't put it on us to dictate that, just preach the gospel and love God and our neighbors. Try not to complicate it too much.
 
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