Hi everyone,
I have a good friend who I feel very called to share the Bible and the gospel with but I am not sure how to do this properly. She believes in many New Age things, right now most strongly influenced by "The Course in Miracles". I also used to be interested and involved in these things so I know exactly where she is coming from in her beliefs. She also had early childhood experiences in the Catholic Church and basically that whole experience left a sour taste for her regarding Christianity. I don't normally feel called to share the gospel with anyone I know, I think because I am very soft-natured and most of those I know are strong opinionated people who are clearly set in their ways, so rather than share with them I just pray for them.
But this friend is different. I feel very strongly that she has been seeking a relationship with God her whole life, but frequently been led in the wrong direction to finding Him. She is a very spiritual person and she is a decent person. But she has a hard time reconciling in her mind a loving God with an angry God and God's wrath or punishment. Recently though, she has opened up to me about the evil she sees in the world. A few years ago she told me she didn't believe evil really existed because she had never really seen or experienced anything she considered evil. So maybe God is opening her mind to that or maybe as things are getting worse in the world she is finally seeing it for itself. She uses words like "heathens" and talks about the battle between good and evil, God and Satan, and yet at the same time she turns back to the Course in Miracles relating things to man's ego. I have shared some scripture with her and I have told her about the prophecies in the Bible, many of which have already been fulfilled and many that are being fulfilled today. She seems open to learning about these things. But I don't know how to pull her away from the Course In Miracles and New Age teachings that she has come to believe in. I have suggested to her that she would benefit from reading the Bible and she says she tried in the past but didn't understand it (though I have read the Course in Miracles and that's not exactly an easy read either). She talks about praying to God daily and how her prayers are more like conversations (also a reader of Conversations with God).
How can I help her distinguish between these wrong and misleading New Age teachings? She has told me since she doesn't read the Bible and I do that she welcomes me "filling in the blanks" for her. But those are a LOT of blanks to fill in! I realize God needs to do the work here. I have prayed for her and I try to plant the seeds and nudge her in the right direction. I wonder at times if her difficulty in reading the Bible is maybe an effort to read it front to back like a story, which can be very difficult, and if she might benefit from trying individual scriptures that might help with certain things. So I have considered buying her a Bible and maybe highlighting scriptures that could be beneficial to her. I also told her she can pray and ask God to open her mind and heart to understanding the Bible when she does try to read it.
The other thing is she was baptised as an infant in the Catholic Church and she believes she already has the Holy Spirit and has been guided by it her whole life. I question that as I don't personally believe in infant baptism. I did in fact tell her that and explained that baptism is making a choice to follow Jesus, which an infant cannot do because they cannot understand yet. She has told me she has experienced grace first hand. I do believe she is being guided and called by God, which is why she feels this, as God is constantly calling all of us. But given her New Age beliefs and infant baptism I don't believe she actually has the Holy Spirit, and if she did have I think she would be guided in a whole new direction. I pushed the baptism issue a little bit with her since she states she is a believer, and she said she will think it over. I tend to share a bit and then back off when I feel she is feeling overwhelmed. At that time I just pray. And she always comes back with more questions. This sharing thing is a lot of work. I try to be gentle as I don't believe the whole "We are all sinners and will burn in hell without Jesus" draws people to Christianity.
Any suggestions on how to gently steer my friend away from New Age without making her feel like she is "wrong" or following pagan practices etc?
Hi everyone,
I have a good friend who I feel very called to share the Bible and the gospel with but I am not sure how to do this properly. She believes in many New Age things, right now most strongly influenced by "The Course in Miracles". I also used to be interested and involved in these things so I know exactly where she is coming from in her beliefs. She also had early childhood experiences in the Catholic Church and basically that whole experience left a sour taste for her regarding Christianity. I don't normally feel called to share the gospel with anyone I know, I think because I am very soft-natured and most of those I know are strong opinionated people who are clearly set in their ways, so rather than share with them I just pray for them.
But this friend is different. I feel very strongly that she has been seeking a relationship with God her whole life, but frequently been led in the wrong direction to finding Him. She is a very spiritual person and she is a decent person. But she has a hard time reconciling in her mind a loving God with an angry God and God's wrath or punishment. Recently though, she has opened up to me about the evil she sees in the world. A few years ago she told me she didn't believe evil really existed because she had never really seen or experienced anything she considered evil. So maybe God is opening her mind to that or maybe as things are getting worse in the world she is finally seeing it for itself. She uses words like "heathens" and talks about the battle between good and evil, God and Satan, and yet at the same time she turns back to the Course in Miracles relating things to man's ego. I have shared some scripture with her and I have told her about the prophecies in the Bible, many of which have already been fulfilled and many that are being fulfilled today. She seems open to learning about these things. But I don't know how to pull her away from the Course In Miracles and New Age teachings that she has come to believe in. I have suggested to her that she would benefit from reading the Bible and she says she tried in the past but didn't understand it (though I have read the Course in Miracles and that's not exactly an easy read either). She talks about praying to God daily and how her prayers are more like conversations (also a reader of Conversations with God).
How can I help her distinguish between these wrong and misleading New Age teachings? She has told me since she doesn't read the Bible and I do that she welcomes me "filling in the blanks" for her. But those are a LOT of blanks to fill in! I realize God needs to do the work here. I have prayed for her and I try to plant the seeds and nudge her in the right direction. I wonder at times if her difficulty in reading the Bible is maybe an effort to read it front to back like a story, which can be very difficult, and if she might benefit from trying individual scriptures that might help with certain things. So I have considered buying her a Bible and maybe highlighting scriptures that could be beneficial to her. I also told her she can pray and ask God to open her mind and heart to understanding the Bible when she does try to read it.
The other thing is she was baptised as an infant in the Catholic Church and she believes she already has the Holy Spirit and has been guided by it her whole life. I question that as I don't personally believe in infant baptism. I did in fact tell her that and explained that baptism is making a choice to follow Jesus, which an infant cannot do because they cannot understand yet. She has told me she has experienced grace first hand. I do believe she is being guided and called by God, which is why she feels this, as God is constantly calling all of us. But given her New Age beliefs and infant baptism I don't believe she actually has the Holy Spirit, and if she did have I think she would be guided in a whole new direction. I pushed the baptism issue a little bit with her since she states she is a believer, and she said she will think it over. I tend to share a bit and then back off when I feel she is feeling overwhelmed. At that time I just pray. And she always comes back with more questions. This sharing thing is a lot of work. I try to be gentle as I don't believe the whole "We are all sinners and will burn in hell without Jesus" draws people to Christianity.
Any suggestions on how to gently steer my friend away from New Age without making her feel like she is "wrong" or following pagan practices etc?
Hi everyone,
I have a good friend who I feel very called to share the Bible and the gospel with but I am not sure how to do this properly. She believes in many New Age things, right now most strongly influenced by "The Course in Miracles". I also used to be interested and involved in these things so I know exactly where she is coming from in her beliefs. She also had early childhood experiences in the Catholic Church and basically that whole experience left a sour taste for her regarding Christianity. I don't normally feel called to share the gospel with anyone I know, I think because I am very soft-natured and most of those I know are strong opinionated people who are clearly set in their ways, so rather than share with them I just pray for them.
But this friend is different. I feel very strongly that she has been seeking a relationship with God her whole life, but frequently been led in the wrong direction to finding Him. She is a very spiritual person and she is a decent person. But she has a hard time reconciling in her mind a loving God with an angry God and God's wrath or punishment. Recently though, she has opened up to me about the evil she sees in the world. A few years ago she told me she didn't believe evil really existed because she had never really seen or experienced anything she considered evil. So maybe God is opening her mind to that or maybe as things are getting worse in the world she is finally seeing it for itself. She uses words like "heathens" and talks about the battle between good and evil, God and Satan, and yet at the same time she turns back to the Course in Miracles relating things to man's ego. I have shared some scripture with her and I have told her about the prophecies in the Bible, many of which have already been fulfilled and many that are being fulfilled today. She seems open to learning about these things. But I don't know how to pull her away from the Course In Miracles and New Age teachings that she has come to believe in. I have suggested to her that she would benefit from reading the Bible and she says she tried in the past but didn't understand it (though I have read the Course in Miracles and that's not exactly an easy read either). She talks about praying to God daily and how her prayers are more like conversations (also a reader of Conversations with God).
How can I help her distinguish between these wrong and misleading New Age teachings? She has told me since she doesn't read the Bible and I do that she welcomes me "filling in the blanks" for her. But those are a LOT of blanks to fill in! I realize God needs to do the work here. I have prayed for her and I try to plant the seeds and nudge her in the right direction. I wonder at times if her difficulty in reading the Bible is maybe an effort to read it front to back like a story, which can be very difficult, and if she might benefit from trying individual scriptures that might help with certain things. So I have considered buying her a Bible and maybe highlighting scriptures that could be beneficial to her. I also told her she can pray and ask God to open her mind and heart to understanding the Bible when she does try to read it.
The other thing is she was baptised as an infant in the Catholic Church and she believes she already has the Holy Spirit and has been guided by it her whole life. I question that as I don't personally believe in infant baptism. I did in fact tell her that and explained that baptism is making a choice to follow Jesus, which an infant cannot do because they cannot understand yet. She has told me she has experienced grace first hand. I do believe she is being guided and called by God, which is why she feels this, as God is constantly calling all of us. But given her New Age beliefs and infant baptism I don't believe she actually has the Holy Spirit, and if she did have I think she would be guided in a whole new direction. I pushed the baptism issue a little bit with her since she states she is a believer, and she said she will think it over. I tend to share a bit and then back off when I feel she is feeling overwhelmed. At that time I just pray. And she always comes back with more questions. This sharing thing is a lot of work. I try to be gentle as I don't believe the whole "We are all sinners and will burn in hell without Jesus" draws people to Christianity.
Any suggestions on how to gently steer my friend away from New Age without making her feel like she is "wrong" or following pagan practices etc?
we are all reading and studying the Bible at our own pace and working through it with prayer to understand.
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