Visciously Anti-Christian friends

[InnocentOdion]

Hi people,

I converted to Christianity a few years ago. I'm glad I did, and I was actually blessed enough to feel the presence of the Lord - and to have him speak to me in dreams - which converted me! I've since had a few more dreams where God has spoken to me. I'd put my life down before one would get me to say there is no God now.

However, I haven't told my friends- except for one. I'm worried about telling them because of how aggressively anti-Christian they are. To give you an idea about the wide range of 'beliefs' they have:

1. A 'Satanist-Luciferian' - basically, a Christian/Jew but with Satan being the real God, and YHWH being the real Devil - the 'real' Messiah hasn't come, but the 'anti-Messiah' (anti-Christ I guess) has already been, and that's our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. A Wiccan with a chip on her shoulder because her dad was nasty to her - she blames it on Christianity even though none of her family are religious except for her, who casts 'black magick' spells and other types of 'magick'. Says things to my fiancée such as 'Where was Jesus when my dad was hitting my mum?' and generally hates Jesus. She worships the sun and the moon god and goddess.
3. A Pagan who believes that Jesus is intolerant, Christianity is stupid, God is crazy -- yet God doesn't exist. But her dozens of gods do, as do the
4. A 'Spirtist-Animalist' -- the one who knows I'm a Christian. Believes, however, that I'm being decieved by the "Evil ones", God is selfish if there is only him as God, Christianity is full of errors, and his religion (which as far as I know, nobody else is a member of!), where the 'spirits'--- often in the shape of Wolves and elemental things, talk to him and tell him what to do, and they are like his brothers and sisters and they go around and 'embrace' him and 'kiss' him and he can 'feel their presence'. But he refuses to let them get too close to him 'in case they try to possess' him. He is absolutely terrified of crucifixes and Bibles. His 'spirit family' won't allow him to touch it because 'it's bad', and he doesn't want to touch a religion and lose the connection 'with the spirits'. He believes he's a wolf in a human body.

What can I do to convince them Christianity is a good religion, more about getting a personal relationship with God than anything else? What can I do to keep my strength up?

God bless,
IO

 

[Elijah2]

Hi people,

I converted to Christianity a few years ago. I'm glad I did, and I was actually blessed enough to feel the presence of the Lord - and to have him speak to me in dreams - which converted me! I've since had a few more dreams where God has spoken to me. I'd put my life down before one would get me to say there is no God now.

However, I haven't told my friends- except for one. I'm worried about telling them because of how aggressively anti-Christian they are. To give you an idea about the wide range of 'beliefs' they have:

1. A 'Satanist-Luciferian' - basically, a Christian/Jew but with Satan being the real God, and YHWH being the real Devil - the 'real' Messiah hasn't come, but the 'anti-Messiah' (anti-Christ I guess) has already been, and that's our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. A Wiccan with a chip on her shoulder because her dad was nasty to her - she blames it on Christianity even though none of her family are religious except for her, who casts 'black magick' spells and other types of 'magick'. Says things to my fiancée such as 'Where was Jesus when my dad was hitting my mum?' and generally hates Jesus. She worships the sun and the moon god and goddess.
3. A Pagan who believes that Jesus is intolerant, Christianity is stupid, God is crazy -- yet God doesn't exist. But her dozens of gods do, as do the
4. A 'Spirtist-Animalist' -- the one who knows I'm a Christian. Believes, however, that I'm being decieved by the "Evil ones", God is selfish if there is only him as God, Christianity is full of errors, and his religion (which as far as I know, nobody else is a member of!), where the 'spirits'--- often in the shape of Wolves and elemental things, talk to him and tell him what to do, and they are like his brothers and sisters and they go around and 'embrace' him and 'kiss' him and he can 'feel their presence'. But he refuses to let them get too close to him 'in case they try to possess' him. He is absolutely terrified of crucifixes and Bibles. His 'spirit family' won't allow him to touch it because 'it's bad', and he doesn't want to touch a religion and lose the connection 'with the spirits'. He believes he's a wolf in a human body.

What can I do to convince them Christianity is a good religion, more about getting a personal relationship with God than anything else? What can I do to keep my strength up?

God bless,
IO

DON'T, because you will only destroy whatever you have. Just pull back and regroup before you go headlong into battle. You are a new soldier still doing basic boot training, and you are not battle ready.

The Bible says about being "unequally yoked with unbelievers", so it may be the best not to say anything at all. But, really deep down inside of me I would say that you need to change your friends, because you are going to be burnt.

Love in Christ

 

[w00dy]

show them the example of love and pray for them. (both things i need a kick up the jacksy for not doing more)

 

[Tenebrae]

Show them Jesus in how you live your life. Verbally trying to convince them that God is awesome and amazing is a waste of breath, because it sounds like your friends need to know that your words match up with your talk.

Be a friend to them, without agendas and ideas, let them know that you love them regardless of their religous choice. Be prepared to answer their questions if they ask them, and if you dont know the answer to the question, be honest

Be Jesus to them and most importantly pray for them

 

[PenelopePitstop2]

Wow, get yourslef some new friends!! Only joking. You do need to seriously think and pray about how much time you spend with people who are seriously dabbling in the occult. There's a lot of 'baggage' hanging about here.

I agree with the advice about being ready for battle. You need to hit your prayer closet and make sure you spend plenty of time in the word. Pray for your friends and love them. Be careful not to spend too much time with them though as you may find it wears you down listening to the lies that they currently see as truth.

Live an integrous life, be a light, show love and ask God to give you the opportunity to share with them. When God initiates it He will give you wisdom and the right words to say. Some may reject you but don't be put off by this. Praying you have the boldness you need when the time comes.

 

[Rafael]

The scriptures warn us to not cast pearls before swine. We should not try to convince people that are vicious and purposely unholy before God, who would turn on you. The Bible tells us to be wise as a serpent, in that we stay out from underneath the trampling feet of others like those who would harm you because of your faith in Jesus Christ; to use discernment when giving witness with how we live our lives even more what we say with our mouths. Let the world see your good works so that they can glorify God whom you worship. See scriptures:

Mt 7:6 "Don’t give what is holy to unholy people. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Mt 10:16 ¶ "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

TITUS 3:8 I want you to speak confidently concerning these things, so
that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in GOOD DEEDS.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

simple

 

[Lumen]

Hi people,

I converted to Christianity a few years ago. I'm glad I did, and I was actually blessed enough to feel the presence of the Lord - and to have him speak to me in dreams - which converted me! I've since had a few more dreams where God has spoken to me. I'd put my life down before one would get me to say there is no God now.

However, I haven't told my friends- except for one. I'm worried about telling them because of how aggressively anti-Christian they are. To give you an idea about the wide range of 'beliefs' they have:

1. A 'Satanist-Luciferian' - basically, a Christian/Jew but with Satan being the real God, and YHWH being the real Devil - the 'real' Messiah hasn't come, but the 'anti-Messiah' (anti-Christ I guess) has already been, and that's our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. A Wiccan with a chip on her shoulder because her dad was nasty to her - she blames it on Christianity even though none of her family are religious except for her, who casts 'black magick' spells and other types of 'magick'. Says things to my fiancée such as 'Where was Jesus when my dad was hitting my mum?' and generally hates Jesus. She worships the sun and the moon god and goddess.
3. A Pagan who believes that Jesus is intolerant, Christianity is stupid, God is crazy -- yet God doesn't exist. But her dozens of gods do, as do the
4. A 'Spirtist-Animalist' -- the one who knows I'm a Christian. Believes, however, that I'm being decieved by the "Evil ones", God is selfish if there is only him as God, Christianity is full of errors, and his religion (which as far as I know, nobody else is a member of!), where the 'spirits'--- often in the shape of Wolves and elemental things, talk to him and tell him what to do, and they are like his brothers and sisters and they go around and 'embrace' him and 'kiss' him and he can 'feel their presence'. But he refuses to let them get too close to him 'in case they try to possess' him. He is absolutely terrified of crucifixes and Bibles. His 'spirit family' won't allow him to touch it because 'it's bad', and he doesn't want to touch a religion and lose the connection 'with the spirits'. He believes he's a wolf in a human body.

What can I do to convince them Christianity is a good religion, more about getting a personal relationship with God than anything else? What can I do to keep my strength up?

God bless,
IO

It's not an important issue to convince them of anything.

 

[tturt]

You keep your strength up?

praying & worshiping the Lord, studying His Word, listening to "His" music, etc. You'll get filled this way yet there will continue to be a hunger and thirst for Him. It's amazing how the Lord is moving in your life!

 

[JEBofChristTheLord]

It's not an important issue to convince them of anything.

Indeed, you cannot convince them of anything. All you can do, is lead them to Him, first and last and most of all by good example, and if they ask, by good answers to the tough questions by which the people of this world reveal their bankruptcy of purpose.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

simple

 

[JEBofChristTheLord]

Online, patience is most essential, and you're right, I have had to learn to delete expectations. Over years, God having produced these results increasingly, I have seen considerably more results than I had dreamed of seeing.

 

[soldoutdancer4]

Pray for them. Ask God to change their hearts. Also start spiritually training harder because one of your friends might bring something in your life to make you stumble.

 

[GrayAngel]

This is what you should do. Do your best to be an example of God's family. Love them, pray for them, and be honest to them. If they do not see these things, what do you think they will believe of the rest of God's family? Do not hide your Christianity from them. Stand up for your God, but do not talk out of anger. Remember, it doesn't matter what they think. What they think does not change the truth, that our God is an awesome God. Don't just hint of your Christianty either. Make it as obvious as if you were carrying the words "I am a Son of God" on a picket fence.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

simple

 

[InnocentOdion]

Thanks for your replies.
Although stopping being friends with them is something we've considered, I do feel that without a little help from God, they're just going to slip further and futher away from him.

I'm thinking, though- two of them are having a baby together (the Wiccan and the Satan-Luciferian - since they're engaged), I'm hoping that they'll mellow out and hopefully end up coming to God - if they don't then I'm hoping they'll at least stop their ungodly practices - otherwise I worry about the future of their child. :S

I try to be a good, moral person with them, and I don't lose my temper with them or anything, but I still have to see them to let them know I'm Christian. I'll let you guys know when I do!

Pray for God to keep me strong!

 

[Ollerom]

well, I understand where you are coming from! I consider myself a "stealth" Christian in a way because I am not loud or preachy about it... but if you get to know me, or notice small details, you will find out that Jesus is my savior.

I have a few Pagan friends and have not yet found the perfect method of introducing them to the Lord. Sometimes it is a long and slow process of prayer and non-invasive, nonjudgemental comments here & there. But I do think you can influence your friends for the Lord. You see, I used to be the Pagan friend, and a Christian friend got me to come to church.. and then I found the Lord.

So don't give up on your friends. (Otherwise they might remember you as "that jerk who dumped me after becoming a Christian"!) But do BE CAUTIOUS because you need to be strong in your own walk with God. And sometimes our friends influence us in ways that are not good, even though they don't mean to. So stay strong in prayer. I would suggest, if you are going to hang out with Wiccan, Satanist or animist friends, to get prayed up first. Pray to the Lord for strength, not to be led astray, and to be a witness for Him as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Just my thoughts from my perspective - hope it is of some help to you! May you walk with the Lord.

 

[InnocentOdion]

Thanks for the replies people.
I've been trying to be the best person I can be, but they are oblivious to it. Last night I started talking to one of my "friends" and we got onto the subject of religion.

Apparently, he doesn't want to become or think about being Christian, "in case the spirits which he knows are real and are loving to him in order to find out if God exists" - (these spirits he sees as his family and trusts them with all of his heart but he won't let them "too near" in case they "try and possess him"...

...and he hates Christianity because "it says all other religions are wrong", and because "God is selfish because there is only one God". And one more is "why does God have to show us who he is by a book, why can't his presence just be felt?"

These are really strange reasons. Even though I replied to him about how you can feel his presence, God isn't selfish because he's the only God, etc... what can I do? These spirits he sees worry me. They aren't good and they're not from God - if I put a crucifix by him, he panics and clings to the wall. What can I do?

Pray for their salvation, please! I know that they are good people, but they are all being decieved - this one in particular.

 

[rocklife]

some times we need to pull away from our old nonchristian friends. If they knew us before being a christian, it is my experience they won't even take you seriously much. you probably have to let them go, and pray for them. and witness more at a distance.

I don't hang out with my old friends. when they call me up, I would share my testimony and pass along christian literature by mail, but I would not go out to places with them. I didn't feel fellowshipping like that would do anybody any good, just entertaining ourselves. I gave them my testimony and try to help as I could, but many people will just take advantage of you for selfish reasons, christians are not entertainers, we are servents, and we need to reach the sick and poor, not healthy (the metaphor Jesus used, the ones who are seeking, not the ones who think they are righteous already).

People can tell if you are serious christian, they don't have to see you everyday to know if you are serious. That witness can stay with someone years later, and God can open their eyes when He sees right.

You need to watch your own walk with God too. Continue in daily bible study, like bible reading, listening to bible on tapes. also continue to learn of Jesus and His ministry and do good works according to your conscience

 

[Dondi]

Thanks for the replies people.
I've been trying to be the best person I can be, but they are oblivious to it. Last night I started talking to one of my "friends" and we got onto the subject of religion.

Apparently, he doesn't want to become or think about being Christian, "in case the spirits which he knows are real and are loving to him in order to find out if God exists" - (these spirits he sees as his family and trusts them with all of his heart but he won't let them "too near" in case they "try and possess him"...

...and he hates Christianity because "it says all other religions are wrong", and because "God is selfish because there is only one God". And one more is "why does God have to show us who he is by a book, why can't his presence just be felt?"

These are really strange reasons. Even though I replied to him about how you can feel his presence, God isn't selfish because he's the only God, etc... what can I do? These spirits he sees worry me. They aren't good and they're not from God - if I put a crucifix by him, he panics and clings to the wall. What can I do?

Pray for their salvation, please! I know that they are good people, but they are all being decieved - this one in particular.

Remember the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8.


I remember when I was fallen away from God, I drifted into borderline agnosticism. Such as it was, my life was not what I wanted it and I was depressed for some time.

So I looked for ways to improve my life. I bought a book on ESP, figuring that if I can tap into the powers of my mind, I could somehow improve my life. So I started doing the meditation exercises in the book while i was going through the chapters, and that was all well and good. But then I got to the chapter where the author suggested listening out for "spirit guides".

Spirit guides?!

Mind you, at this point in my life, I had doubts about the existence of God, much less spirit guides.

As I read on, the author said these spirit guides are there to help you develop your psychic powers.

OK, now I had enough Sunday School lessons in my youth to know that these "spirit guides" are not there to help you. In the stories in the gospels, all the spirits I read about were demonic.

I was done with ESP.

But it did get me to thinking about the spirit world itself.

If this author really did communicate to these "spirit guides", then that means the spirit world is real. And if the spirit world is real, then that means God is real.

In a round about way, occultism woke me up to the reality of God. For if I didn't find out about the reality of "spirit guides" I might not have considered God.

So guess who I ran to instead of running from. And I will tell you, that I had a reception that rivals the Prodigal Son. I never felt God's Love so strongly evident in my own heart than when I fell before Him and poured out my sordid heart and life to Him.

Praise the Lord God our Father in Heaven, who accepts us back from the depths of darkness and depair!

There is hope for your friends. And His name is Wonderful.