In This Day and Age...How?

First off, please respect this thread and the question asked. Please, do not troll and waste precious bandwidth that the host of ATS provides so we can intellectually discuss and debate, as well as deny ignorance. We are living in a time of supposed religious freedom, and if you are going to bash this thread with hatred, please feel free to do so, I can't stop you, but I suggest the others that contribute to the thread to not react with the same hatred to the nonbelievers. You can not fight evil with evil.

Ok... so here goes:

In this day and age, there are a lot of cynics and skeptics, which were abundant in the times of Christ in Greece.
America is modernized Greece, we copied a lot of Greek thoughts and applied to our foundation as a nation... Information is everywhere and easily accessible for now, and a lot of people with beautiful and inquisitive minds have contradicting thoughts and opinions that sometimes may bring out the worst in people.

So here's the question:
In this day and age, how are Christians supposed to spread the love of Christ?

I'll give you guys, the readers, a typical real life scenario:

Two strangers are in a elevator, the Christian asks the other,
"Are you a Christian?" the other man replies,
"No, I don't believe in God, Jesus, or any other mystical beings in the sky."
"Well, you do know that you are going to burn in hell if you don't believe in God. I'll be praying for your soul" The unbeliever scoffs, retorts, and/or walks away.

Now, what did that accomplish? From my perspective, i do not believe that person accomplished anything but more disdain in that person's heart for a loving, living God. Maybe that encounter leads the nonbeliever to God, maybe not, i don't know, only God will know. But as a Christian, you will be accounted for that encounter, and the fear of God should be in you.

My approach on a converting someone:
I'm going to be me. If i am really aligned with the word of God, the nonbeliever will know this to be true.
Just like Christ said, we are the light of this world, so we must let our light shine.
How does light shine exactly? I say it is to spiritually enriched by the Bible, and letting the Holy Spirit guide you in the deciphering of God's Word. When you are equipped that knowledge, i believe a zen-like attitude will manifest in your actions. We must let our FAITH shine through... I believe that good works is a product of true faith, and it is inevitable for good works to follow our true faith.

How would you share the love of Christ to nonbelievers?

Could this be what you are talking about? I agree, that people and their religious beliefs, and differences have been the root cause of unrest since the dawn of organized religion imo.

If I were a Christian, like my Mother. I wouldn't teach the values etc through "you're going to burn in hell" and "you need to be saved." That kind of ridiculous crap. I would teach them by first as an example, secondly debating the subject rather than lecturing it and thirdly, saying small things like "God bless" alongside a simple goodbye. Lecturing the masses and making them fearful doesn't work as well as it used to.

Originally posted by Tea4One
If I were a Christian, like my Mother. I wouldn't teach the values etc through "you're going to burn in hell" and "you need to be saved." That kind of ridiculous crap. I would teach them by first as an example, secondly debating the subject rather than lecturing it and thirdly, saying small things like "God bless" alongside a simple goodbye. Lecturing the masses and making them fearful doesn't work as well as it used to.

Well said...

Leaving out the doctrine of fear and self pity is probably a good start.

I would show the love Jesus taught... Lead by example as Tea4One said

You tell them the only god they need to prey to and prove something to is within themselves. That, and that alone is from where faith is born imo.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas

Why do you need to convert people? do you get a Jesus cookie?
This is why people groan when you say stuff to them about Jesus, because we are intelligent beings with a mind of our own, most of us have heard about Jesus and have decided "No it's not for me".
Then after you have left we say to our pal's "Some Jesus freak has just tried to teach me about God etc" so then they get a negative view of Christians.

Just stop, please stop going on about Jesus and please stop telling me I will goto Hell if I don't accept him, it is a threat, and what do people do when threatened? they ignore what you are saying..
So once more Please Jesus dudes stop knocking on my door at 9am in the morning and stop Jesus dude workmates go on and on during a night shift on how Jesus will save me.
I don't need saving, concentrate on your own lives not ours.

reply to post by AllUrChips


this is where i disagree: i dont believe God is from within. I believe that is a new age concept, which will deceive the masses for false teachers and prophets under the guise of love. I believe God enters our heart after we accept Christ as our Savior. My reason for this: True faith is THE hardest thing to accomplish because it requires the sacrifice of flesh. And no, i don't mean burnt offerings, i mean giving up wordly desires so we can allow the Holy Spirit to manifest. My belief is that if one were to journey onto true faith, everything aligns to what we call Christianity.

How can we find God within ourselves when our bodies are unholy, or not set apart from the world?

Originally posted by boymonkey74
reply to post by DelayedChristmas

 

Why do you need to convert people? do you get a Jesus cookie?
This is why people groan when you say stuff to them about Jesus, because we are intelligent beings with a mind of our own, most of us have heard about Jesus and have decided "No it's not for me".
Then after you have left we say to our pal's "Some Jesus freak has just tried to teach me about God etc" so then they get a negative view of Christians.

Just stop, please stop going on about Jesus and please stop telling me I will goto Hell if I don't accept him, it is a threat, and what do people do when threatened? they ignore what you are saying..
So once more Please Jesus dudes stop knocking on my door at 9am in the morning and stop Jesus dude workmates go on and on during a night shift on how Jesus will save me.
I don't need saving, concentrate on your own lives not ours.

hello there, and please read the thread and OP in its entirety. It is our life to convert, because Jesus is our life. If we truly did not love Jesus, we not would revolve our lives around him.If we truly loved Jesus, i think that's what we generally always talk about, especially to strangers. Sometimes, people put too much authority on themselves and their pride conflicts with the faith and its message. I am very disheartened when people convert with fear... Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but i think faith and love must come before wisdom.

reply to post by Akragon


i disagree with excluding fear from Christianity. I believe fear is a necessity. Not just regular fear, but fear of God, fear of Him leaving His presence from you, because i can tell you firsthand, that is the scariest thought that has ever went through my head. Fear of God is beginning of wisdom, once you fear God leaving His presence from you, i think you would take it upon yourself to never let that happen. this is when your faith truly shines.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


If your really a believer in Jesus and the new testament please tell me where it says in the new testament that we will burn in hell by not accepting Christ ?

reply to post by rick004


the word "hell" is a translation for the hebrew word sheol, which the english language can only describe as a grave, or rest. my inference: sheol is a lower level of heaven, with the lake of fire being the last level. Everyone goes through the first death, the second death will be for the unbelievers when Christ returns and satan will be thrown there with his servants.

Revelation 21:6, 11-15 NIV
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


In this day and age you don't NEED to "let people know about Jesus."

Seriously ...we have TV and the internet. I guarantee anyone age 10 or up has heard of the Bible. If they haven't converted by the time you talk to them, then they don't want to.

Really, give it up or go to a third world country where you can spread the word! The word being: Reading the Bible and accepting Jesus as your lord and master equals food!!!

reply to post by Cataka


you can not say that certainty. yes, the whole world knows about Jesus, the gospel has been spread throughout the entire world now. BUT, do they truly know who He is? i believe in a loving and merciful God, and i refuse to believe that He will not give multiple chances for everyone to believe. Maybe, God's plan for me is to meet someone and possibly convert them by letting the love of God shine. Whether they believe it or not, yes, it's their decision. But you and I both do not know if they will believe, so we can not say that with certainty, only God knows. the more you know, the more you will be accounted for.

if I know God and know His love and He opened my eyes to the truth, it would be selfish for me to not to share the same love.

We are a city on a hill. The scriptures say to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. The eyes of the world are upon us Christians. They are constantly watching our every move, our every behavior. As was stated before, we are to be an example. When unbelievers begin to notice the difference in you that becomes the opportunity to share the gospel with them.

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman; never pushy, or forcing doctrine down the throats of unbelievers. We should follow His example in witnessing.

Originally posted by DelayedChristmas
reply to post by Akragon

 

i disagree with excluding fear from Christianity. I believe fear is a necessity. Not just regular fear, but fear of God, fear of Him leaving His presence from you, because i can tell you firsthand, that is the scariest thought that has ever went through my head. Fear of God is beginning of wisdom, once you fear God leaving His presence from you, i think you would take it upon yourself to never let that happen. this is when your faith truly shines.

Interesting you say that... i have an old thread on that very topic.

Why Fear God?

You can't seperate yourself from God... Your body and spirit are a part of him...

Both are parts of God... Seperation from God is an illusion caused by fear and selfishness...

reply to post by Akragon

Matthew 12:31-32
Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come

Mark 3:22-30
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebub,' and, 'By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.' …'Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation;' because they said, 'He has an unclean spirit'

that's separating yourself from God. PLEASE DO NOT DO WHAT THE PHARISEES DID.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas

So here's the question:
In this day and age, how are Christians supposed to spread the love of Christ?

Bias builds ground for the other person to stand against you. Fear is the reality that follows the emptiness of bias in an attempt to preserve what little strength and joy remains of a shattered life. Anger is the sword that wounds from an empty heart. Condescension only reveals bias as a false garment we wear to cover our own fear and inadequacy. These are examples of learned traits that our animal nature reveals as we deal with reality. Worldly wisdom in our society of objectivism only fuels this disease. Stepping out of this diseased state is only a matter of seeking truth. To walk away from pride, a person must be willing to swallow it with the humility of courage. Courage is the opposite of fear and a matter of a simple choice to act.

At the heart of each word we think and each deed we manifest into reality, the root is either pride from greed or love from wealth. Of course, wealth has nothing to do with riches. The poorest among us are some of the wealthiest. Wealth is a product of right action and right thought. These can lead to riches in this world, but true wealth comes from an assurance that we are known by God. Fear comes from the unknown. Uncertainty is the seed of doubt. Pride is a false image that the beast within uses to build a false ground of protection against the fear of what we do not see. Once pride is overcome, the beast is subdued and all fear is gone. Peace follows.

The secret to embracing this is to flip all negative to positive. Fear must be replaced with courage. Faith must replace doubt. Kindness must replace anger. Blessing replaces cursing. Prayer replaces revenge. Love replaces hate. The polarity of all opposites must be replaced if peace can work its way into our sphere of existence.

Mankind is at the event horizon of defeating the beast. We have been offered a new heaven, a new earth and a new set of garments if we only have the faith to call on the name of the Lord from our humility and weakness. This can happen at a personal, national or global level. The moment this happens for any soul living, the soul and spirit (consciousness) become one. In that very moment; in a twinkling of an eye, the consummation of two become one.

At that moment, we shed the mortal coil of the animal nature and put on the clothes of righteousness. We put on the clothes of the new man and proudly walk in faith and love with our fellow man. The flower of our awareness opens up and the world around us is healed. Our previous development of months and years is accelerated to minutes and hours. What we previously experienced by adding here and there becomes a exponential explosion of personal development and eager joy. We see God face to face and all wounds are healed. No weapon formed against us can prosper.

Apart from this transformation, the fruit of our spirit is pride, bias, fear, anger, resentment and wallowing self-pity. Misery loves company unless you are the wrong company. Those of us who have dared give it all up to gain it back again need only remember where we came from. Love covers a multitude of sin. Not only does it cover our own weakness, but love covers the sins of others if we offer it freely, apart form our own gain. When we finally take off the garment of pride, nothing remains but a welcoming hand into the family of God.

Simply let your light shine. Realize that we are all on the path to the light of God. It's always our choice to rise or fall by pride or humility before an awesome God.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


Im sorry my friend i do not fear God...

Originally posted by DelayedChristmas
hello there, and please read the thread and OP in its entirety. It is our life to convert, because Jesus is our life. If we truly did not love Jesus, we not would revolve our lives around him.If we truly loved Jesus, i think that's what we generally always talk about, especially to strangers. Sometimes, people put too much authority on themselves and their pride conflicts with the faith and its message. I am very disheartened when people convert with fear... Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but i think faith and love must come before wisdom.

edit on 28-12-2011 by DelayedChristmas because: (no reason given)

What is so hard my friend?

Christ did not give you a burden so hard to carry.

Here is how you convert someone.

You bless the meek.

You help the poor in spirit.

You comfort those who mourn.

You fight for those who suffer in the name of righteousness.

You show his love and affection in your every word and deed.

You do not call your Brothers and Sisters sinners, raca or even fool!

Do all these things in HIS name, and then people will know he lives.

It is a choice. If you cannot do it because you believe it, then do it for his Great Work.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by IAMIAM


Akragon, i can not change that nor do i plan, i have no power to do that.
iamiam, your thoughts are in direct conflict with the scripture

Luke 9:23-24 (NIV) Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
Mark 8:34-35 (NIV) Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Mat 10:38 (NIV) ... anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

we do have a heavy burden to carry.