Who we should share the Gospel with.

[NinjaWizards777]

I have a big problem with wanting to debate people and share what ive found. Not in the sense of "IM RIGHT AND YOURE WRONG" but just that I want to make available a message that has been so utterly lost in the sound of all our Christian dogma. Ive recently attended a bible study as well(based in a ET church) and its really hard to hold my tounge sometimes.

but I think sometimes the best thing to do is just put the right questions out there, and if someone "bites" go with it. Im becoming increasingly aware of how easy it is to back peoples theology into a corner, so to speak. You can do it with one question most the time and when you have, you know it because then theyll construct a strawman argument that has really nothing to do with your question. Its not a strategy ive really implemented yet but its one I plan on.

[sparrow]

Offer a different view, SHARE... but perhaps debating endlessly is not the answer.

The problem is that you can't know that before yous start.
Maybe that extra hour, that extra verse finally will plant the seed. Or not..

SHARE! and move on.

Sparrow, nothing negative towards you, or anyone; I've read similar responces in several threads.
If 'you' have 10 people a day you are going to share UR with then I can agree. Don't waste to much time on 1 person and because of that 9 others are missing the true gospel.
But..... be honest. How many ETs you speak daily in an attempt to convert/plant a seed?
Is it really 10 a day? 1? Personally I would be very suprised if it was 1 a week. Or even 1 a month.
So when spending some extra time on that one ET others aren't missing your wisdom....
:2c:

I'm mostly thinking of ET'ers who are NOT open to the message. Who are just totally in that "hardened heart" part of their path (for whatever reason). To me, there's a difference between folks who believe in ET but don't WANT to..and those who believe in it and WANT to. One heart is totally hardened, the other isn't. I would absolutely keep spending time with someone who was responding and having more of an open mind. Without a doubt.

When I said.. "Share...offer a different view.. and leave" to be honest, I suppose I was thinking of scenarios like city-data's christianity forum for example. Where you have some major foaming at the mouth, hardcore ET believers who do not listen to ONE single word you say. When I share with them, I usually don't debate with them because it's just not something that is good for my soul. Others can. I can't. Sometimes it ends with people acting very unloving. I just can't get sucked into it. Sometimes I do. But normally, for the benefit of other lurkers who may be following the conversation and looking for a different viewpoint, I'll try to offer that branch as they go swimming by in the river. Just kind of a "hey... over here... there's a different way to think of this..." kind of thing.

does that make sense?

[Gab]

Offer a different view, SHARE... but perhaps debating endlessly is not the answer.

The problem is that you can't know that before yous start.
Maybe that extra hour, that extra verse finally will plant the seed. Or not..

SHARE! and move on.

Sparrow, nothing negative towards you, or anyone; I've read similar responces in several threads.
If 'you' have 10 people a day you are going to share UR with then I can agree. Don't waste to much time on 1 person and because of that 9 others are missing the true gospel.
But..... be honest. How many ETs you speak daily in an attempt to convert/plant a seed?
Is it really 10 a day? 1? Personally I would be very suprised if it was 1 a week. Or even 1 a month.
So when spending some extra time on that one ET others aren't missing your wisdom....
:2c:

Well, the way I see it, the problem is that every single person you talk to without budging an inch is at least somewhat a disappointment, and the longer you talk to the person the more time you'll have felt that you've wasted.  Do too much of that, and you may just give up talking to people altogether, which is an even worse outcome.  Humans aren't robots who can just do the same thing forever with no feedback whatsoever.  I think the people who are truly "hardened heart ET adherents" are effectively the modern Pharisees, and the only time during which Jesus addressed the Pharisees was to rebuke them and then carry on - he didn't spend hours sitting down and debating theology with them, because he knew very well that such an endeavor was monumentally futile.

I think the parable of the sower is very appropriate here (Matthew 13:3-8).  The farmer that Jesus describes does not plant the seed; he only scatters it.  Whether it has any effect is not due to any effort on the part of the farmer; rather, it is due to the receptiveness of the soil on which the seed lands.  I think that there are largely two states a person can be in: he or she can either be ready to receive the true Gospel, or he or she can be not.  And if that person is not, the nothing we can do can change that, just as even a million seeds cast on the path will not cause any of them to bring forth a crop.  In the same respect, I think that we ought to merely be bearers of news - that is what the Gospel is, after all: news - rather than debaters who attempt to squeeze good soil out of the path. We can provide the seeds, but only the Holy Spirit can transform a stone path into fertile soil.

[NinjaWizards777]

In the same respect, I think that we ought to merely be bearers of news - that is what the Gospel is, after all: news - rather than debaters who attempt to squeeze good soil out of the path. We can provide the seeds, but only the Holy Spirit can transform a stone path into fertile soil.

Thats probably the best way to look at it, honestly. its not up to us to change people. And really I find the people that are most receptive to what I have to say now are non-christians or christians that have(like I have) become disillusioned with the mainstream. I think thats where God wants our attention the most.

People will have their "bad theology" so, if their not ready to dig deeper, leave them to it. God knows what to do.

[claypot]

Well, the way I see it, the problem is that every single person you talk to without budging an inch is at least somewhat a disappointment, and the longer you talk to the person the more time you'll have felt that you've wasted.  Do too much of that, and you may just give up talking to people altogether, which is an even worse outcome.  Humans aren't robots who can just do the same thing forever with no feedback whatsoever.  I think the people who are truly "hardened heart ET adherents" are effectively the modern Pharisees, and the only time during which Jesus addressed the Pharisees was to rebuke them and then carry on - he didn't spend hours sitting down and debating theology with them, because he knew very well that such an endeavor was monumentally futile.

I think the parable of the sower is very appropriate here (Matthew 13:3-8).  The farmer that Jesus describes does not plant the seed; he only scatters it.  Whether it has any effect is not due to any effort on the part of the farmer; rather, it is due to the receptiveness of the soil on which the seed lands.  I think that there are largely two states a person can be in: he or she can either be ready to receive the true Gospel, or he or she can be not.  And if that person is not, the nothing we can do can change that, just even a million seeds cast on the path will not cause any of them to bring forth a crop.  In the same respect, I think that we ought to merely be bearers of news - that is what the Gospel is, after all: news - rather than debaters who attempt to squeeze good soil out of the path. We can provide the seeds, but only the Holy Spirit can transform a stone path into fertile soil.

That spoke to me Gab. Thanks. I'm going to read it again.

cp

[jesushandsarekindhands]

I have a big problem with wanting to debate people and share what ive found. Not in the sense of "IM RIGHT AND YOURE WRONG" but just that I want to make available a message that has been so utterly lost in the sound of all our Christian dogma. Ive recently attended a bible study as well(based in a ET church) and its really hard to hold my tounge sometimes.

but I think sometimes the best thing to do is just put the right questions out there, and if someone "bites" go with it. Im becoming increasingly aware of how easy it is to back peoples theology into a corner, so to speak. You can do it with one question most the time and when you have, you know it because then theyll construct a strawman argument that has really nothing to do with your question. Its not a strategy ive really implemented yet but its one I plan on.

Hey Ninja, that sounds really wise - developing a strategy for different people.  I remember Paul saying he is ALL things to ALL people.  Adjusting how we approach others with the gospel and how we speak about it is good, because the wrong approach could have many running a mile...It sounds like quite a high calling to me.  I still think one of the best ways to spread the gospel is to make tracts perhaps mentioning the fact that there is no 'hell', that one day God will be all in all etc, that you can leave around wherever you go...Even in your church.  That way you dont have to say a word and you get the point across clearly without causing any friction, after all, you arent forceing anyone to read anything, your just leaving the tract.

I always think of the power of the tract.  Imagine someone on a bus or a train, at their wits end, wondering what life is all about, confused etc, and then they find the tract which speaks of a loving God and something that gives meaning to life etc, i think they are the best way to spread the news i really do, and along with that 'being a lamp' in a dark world, because sooner or later people will ask -
"Why are you always positive", or "Why did you not get angry just then when he/she said that", etc.  And then we can give a reason for our faith.

But like you im always planning new strategys also.