How presumptuous and arrogant can we be? If asked, (as in this forum) share the plain gospel truth, otherwise pray for them, if you are so led. You are wasting your time, their time and only further entrenching them in their conviction against religion and decreasing the likelihood of any future opportunity someone may genuinely have when the time is right. Yes, I’m aware of the great commission, but it was given to far more spiritual capable men than we; they turned ‘the then know world upside down’ with their simple message of Christ resurrected. All we have done with our carnal high tech whining is turn the world against us… and we call it persecution. Give the poor ‘bastards’ a rest, do as Scripture commands and seek to live a holy, quiet and peaceable life with all men. Maybe they will see the light from our actual demonstration of the good news, rather than forcing on them a daily enema filled with propaganda, hype and b.s.
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'Preach the gospel, use words if you must."
Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, actual author unknown
Actually the gospel was not all that popular by comparison until Consintine converted and then made it the state religion. This forced people who wouldn't have converted otherwise to convert by law, so I see Evangelism as not only useful to christianity, but it's verry back bone.
We can see this even more strongly in Islam a religion of peace. If it weren't for for forced conversion and the elimination of people who wish to believe otherwise then the religion wouldn't be the fastest growing religion of the world today.
At first many people didn't like mohammed's ideas, but when faced with a choice of conversion or death they figured out how wise and holy mohammed was and how important his ideas were.
If you think about the witch burnings (Mostly just mass hysteria, but useful for consolodating control), the crusaides (Particularly the first and northern crusades), The inquesition (when torture rather than death was used as a motivator), and the spanish elimination of Native Americans we can see that Evangelism has brought Christian values arround the world.
In essence if you take evangelism out of the mix the only converts you get will be people interested in religion for the message and who have a personal relation to the christian god. How many people can't recite the ten commandments or rell you the meaning behind the levitical laws? Ask yourself how empty your church would be if it weren't for the fact that the competition was eliminated generations ago.
You have elements of truth in what you write, but don't forget that if you never share your faith with anyone, a person God is drawing to Himself may not know what is happening to Him. This is one reason why we share our faith. Yes, God does the drawing to Himself, and we cannot and should not 'convert' anyone. But we are all asked to be witnesses to God through signs, wonders, examples and speech.
Christians are asked to model Jesus' life - all of it. And if we seek to do Jesus's ministry, He talked about only doing what He sees at the Father doing (John 15). We are not in perfect relationship with God as Jesus was so this is difficult for us. But if we do what the Father is doing, we would think that our efforts to share our faith and bring others to God is less futile, and we work 'hit the mark' so to speak more often. And although we are mere men, God has given us the Holy Spirit to do the impossible as mere men - w/o the Holy Spirit, the work is difficult.
The reason that God doesn't MAKE us love Him, or believe that Jesus is the way to get to God and the true way to Heaven is because God wants us to love Him because we choose to, not because He is making us love Him. Thats the reason plain and simple, and the reason that we should not stop in sharing the gospel in is simple truth is because not everyone has heard about God's love before and how awful would you feel if there was one person out there that you were supposed to reach but you chose not to because you felt that they already knew their options.
It's like a romantic relationship, you want to know that your partner loves you because they want to, not because you are making them (unless you are a messed up person, not you but in general)
And the Bible does say to share what we have been given with others, if it didn't we wouldn't have been told to shod our feet with the gospel of peace...the reason it's on our feet is so we can walk around and let everyone know by our works who we are, if you are walking around pushing your beliefs on others it wont work, but if you have an opportunity to talk to someone, then talk because you don't want to go meet God and have Him say "why didn't you talk to so and so when I put them in your path, now they wont get to come to heaven because you didn't talk to them and no one else did either?!
Quran 10:99 says "IF Allah wanted to, all nations would be Muslim. Would you then use force?"
Quran 2:256 says "There is no compulsion allowed in religion."
Quran 109:6 says "You shall have your religion, and I shall have my religion.
The Almighty does not force a religion on anyone. People who are insecure do. Religion and spirituality is precious. More precious than money, knowledge or anything that a person may value. We do not force our money on others nor our knowledge, how can we force the ethical system on others.
In my view nuts treat a good faith as filth and force it. We say Allahu Akbar or God is Great, and realize that he has allowed many religions to exist and allows many nations to live out their time on his Earth.
NO true Muslim can force ISLAM on others, nor can a TRUE CHRISTIAN or TRUE JEWISH person can force it, when their God did not do that.
i think why some people try to convert others is because a lot of people go through life without any real faith in anything. i think people try and help others find that faith.
ideally. instead a lot of them just hate other groups for not believeing as they do. you're right, people should focus on their own lives, and the condition of their own soul in relation to god more than focusing on the souls of others.
with all that's gone on in the world in recent times, i can see why it would be hard for people to keep having faith when they keep hearing reports about all the loved ones dying everyday. i personally think that the depression started the slippry slope of people questioning their faith, and it's contuinued even today.
and in regards to god not converting people, he gave us free will. and what's the point of having such free will if he forces everyone to believe in him? that would be a little hypocritical on his part, and i know that he wants us to find our own path to him, even though it might be different than mine or yours. that way a person really has faith and truly believes, instead of a person that never struggled.
You got it backward. It is God, or the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin and converts the heart, not mere men. All we can do is plant the seed and let God take over.
Ok drink water, that will cool you down.
You know I see your point and I agree with you.
But like I said to former Q, we all don't think alike
thats why we get into debates...what a bummer huh.
I guess having irreputable issues entertains one another so
the best thing to do is not to be carried away.
I think no one should be trying to convert anybody to any X religion. Spiritual search is a personal journey and people should be drawn into religion because they feel it's their call.
"if the punishment is the curse of God, angels, and men?" See that observe "IF"? I reckon it truly is all boolshit. you could grovel with the aid of life to invisible sky critters that haven't any foundation easily in case you opt to yet i decide for to life this life as though it truly is the only one on supply cos there is no evidence to the different. actuality is a tricky gig... it truly is not for the faint-hearted. ~
God Cant force anyone to convert,they have to come to him on their own Free Will