"You can observe a lot by seeing."
People have questions...
One of the most difficult realities is that many people are turned away from Christ because of Christians. People have questions they need answered. Society proclaims we evolved from apes, that the world and everything in it is a result of millions of years of evolutionary chance, not God, that Christianity is for the unintelligent, the weak, those who need something to lean on to get through life, but those of us who have felt the love and peace of Christ know differently.
How can we show Christ’s love to others if we cannot help them get past the questions the NEED answered? When “facts” scream “God is fraud” how can we break the barrier with those who to know that believing in God doesn’t make them unintelligent or weak? We can break that barrier by answering their questions. Many Christians are afraid to even hear the questions that those struggling with faith have because they fear that goes against God’s call to us to believe in Christ, but this is not the case.
Paul calls us to be ready to give a defense for everything we hope for and believe (1 Peter 3:15). We shouldn’t be afraid to answer their questions or to tell them we don’t have the answers. We should strive to find the answers. What are some of the questions you have heard from non-believers or even believers who are struggling?
How can we show Christ’s love to others if we cannot help them get past the questions the NEED answered? When “facts” scream “God is fraud” how can we break the barrier with those who to know that believing in God doesn’t make them unintelligent or weak? We can break that barrier by answering their questions. Many Christians are afraid to even hear the questions that those struggling with faith have because they fear that goes against God’s call to us to believe in Christ, but this is not the case.
Paul calls us to be ready to give a defense for everything we hope for and believe (1 Peter 3:15). We shouldn’t be afraid to answer their questions or to tell them we don’t have the answers. We should strive to find the answers. What are some of the questions you have heard from non-believers or even believers who are struggling?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Deep on -
what caught my attention here was your reference to 1peter3:15, am sending you this link.....its called RZIM
hope you enjoy it
http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Watch.aspx
regds
deep
-
Permalink Reply by Kristen Davis on -
This is so true. Eventhough we are fallen and broken God can turn our failures upside down for His glory. It is absolutely amazing to see what God can do with somethings. An interesting example, well at least to me, was a conversation I had with my ex. We ended very badly and he hurt me a lot, but a few months later I had the oppertunity to talk to him. Although my motivation was to work things out with him, God took over the conversation instead. He asked me a question that I will never forget and I still to this day can't get the conversation out of my mind. He asked me "why I would waste love on someone (him) who wasn't coming back?" Without missing a beat God provided that answer, "because love is not wasted, even if it isn't returned." It took me a while to realize that our split had nothing to do with me and that this particular conversation hit a the heart of what is troubling my ex. God knew what he needed. He knew that he needed to know that love is not conditional, that true love means caring about and wanting the best for someone in spite of all that has happened. It is looking at that person as Christ looks at them and saying you are still worthy of love. He needed to see love in action in a tangible circumstance right in front of him before he would ever even be able to comprehend Christ's love. God took a rather painful experience and brought it to His glory. I think that is what you've been sayin Jane, that we need to show the love of Christ, live our lives as shining examples so that when people see us they are drawn to Christ regardless of their questions. This is so true and I find it amazing to see what an impact just living your life for Christ can make. It attracts people like moths to a flame, not always people who are willing to recognize that what they see in you is because of God, but it still makes them take notice. Thanks guys! Hope ya'll had a great Christmas!
Jane Dickson said:Geez, I was going to write this 'proper' and this little perfect message to you...but what for???
-
Permalink Reply by Jason Claus on -
-
Permalink Reply by trish toner on -
I love the ? of evolution. I belive the theory of evolution will be lookied back on it 100 or 200 years like we look at the theory the the world was flat. If you look at the "fact" things we can see today. do not proive the theory of eveloution. there are a lot of sites you can look for awsners to the evoltion ?. lee stroble has a good book but it is very tecnical.
http://www.leestrobel.com/index.html
but there are some very good vid's on it too
also awswers in genisis is good too
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
thats not to say that there are not outher schools of thought on this matter and ther are books at the libary that support evolution and cresation going hand and hand. if you want to resuch that avenue too. I used to be an athist. my frist steps in my jorney to knowing god started with me relizing that evloution was so unprobable that it was very unlikley to be true. my faith in atheisiam was rocked. my walk with god started
-
Permalink Reply by Kristen Davis on
-
Thank you for sharing this Trish. You are a testament of the various ways that God can reach some. God Bless and May you grow closer to Him with each new day!
~Kristen
-
Permalink Reply by Fabel Cuevas Guizar on -
Even if U have the anwser to al their questions, if they dont exept the anwser their's nothin U cando, remember meny R called but only a few chosen, I've been working with all kinds of people in mexico for the last 5 years men an woman, struguling with difer issues in their lifes that have distroid them in some cases, some R no longer here with us to se the real awnser for them selves, Only God can soften their hearts so they can have an spiritual incounter and let the WORD OF God MINISTER THEM!!!! AND OPEN THEIR EYES!!!!
sorry for my spelling it;s been 5 years sens i wroght in english but i was never god at spelling God Bless!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Kristen Davis on
-
Thank you for your response. I agree that ultimately it is the Holy Spirit's work, upon their hearts, that willing bring a person into a relationship with Christ, but I believe that it is our duty, as messengers of Christ, to help remove any stumbling blocks that may stand between a person and Christ if we are able. One of those stumbling blocks, sometime, is unanswered questions. If we have the info, we should share it and if the info is out there, then we should be seeking to find it. We should always be able to give a defense for why we believe and sometimes that defense comes in the form of showing someone that the Bible is reliable. There are many place in the world were discussion of such matters wouldn’t help in evangelism, but here in the US especially, where people spend so much time in their heads and are constantly bombarded with various philosophies of truth, where many times decision making requires evidence rather than faith alone and where Christianity is considered a thing for the non-intellectual, we as Christians should be able to show them that we don’t believe in a fairy tale, that what Christ did on the cross is real. He was an actual man, who actually lived, actually died and was really resurrected from the dead. We have to show them that the Bible isn’t just a book of fairytales or nice stories, but that it’s REAL. Salvation comes through faith in Christ, but if we aren’t able to believe that the Bible is true then we aren’t able to believe that the account of Jesus in the Bible is true and then our faith ends up being on something that we believe may or may not really have happened.
I understand that this may not be applicable for some people. Some people may be able to believe the truth of the Bible without evidence, but if God is real, which he is, and the Bible is real, which it is, then there should be some evidence to validate its claims, outside of it. THAT’S what I’m talking about here. I feel called to help answer people’s questions so they can get past their stumbling blocks and really BELIEVE what they read in the Bible. So I guess what I’m asking is, what questions have people asked you, when you talk to them about God? What are the obstacles you have to work through with an individual when you bring them the Good News?
This is something that God has placed heavily on my heart for a while now. I appreciate your contribution, I believe that God has revealed himself in more ways than we can imagine and there are answers for everyone’s questions, out there somewhere, if we would just take the time to look for them. That’s what I hope to do, be able to bring answers, but first I have to know the questions :)
God Bless!
-
Permalink Reply by Kristen Davis on
-
Thank you Colby. These are some fascinating questions and are exactly what I'm talking about. God wouldn't give us the ability to think critically and rationally (one of the things that separates us from the animals) only to require us to suspend that very ability in order find Him.
Latest Activity
© 2012 Created by Pastor Greg.
