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Now the reason why the word correspondence was used in stead of argument, we as Christians should preach the gospel by showing genuine love for everyone like Jesus did & not necessarily go into arguments, but now the question comes up if we engage with them, the very first thing they are most likely going to ask so why the Bible is full of contradictions & give proof that it is real, immediately changing this back into an argument, so it seems it is not wise to do this like there is many Youtube videos where Christians is being attacked & it is hard not to get in there & defend Christianity. Have really tried to engage with a couple of atheists telling them about the hope that Jesus brings, but they just come back with quotes of the Bible combined with very carefully constructed & cunning philosophies/theories & try as I might explaining each time that the verses was taken out of context with a proper explanation, but they just keep on firing their attacks with Bible verses non stop. Jesus Himself sometimes also have stopped talking to some when the conversation was just going nowhere.

Hello everyone. I'm a long-time member who pops into Worthy when I have the time. I'm a strong believer who has done my best to support the body of Christ for many years. Now I'm having a major problem, and I hope my fellow Christians can help. I'm trying to keep this anonymous. We recently moved to a new town. In need of a new church, we asked a local friend if we could join her church. She was excited for us to join. On our first visit, we were slightly disappointed to find a very small church (I mean like 10-12 members) which had used to be much larger before it started dying out. Everyone in leadership was older than 45. Very conventional, very repetitive, and very very routine. We're not the sort of people who reject small churches because they're small. We are not "customer" type members who want a church to please us. We believe in serving where we are needed. The pastor kept saying he was praying for growth, and he said that we seemed to be an answer to his prayers, so we agreed to stick around and see if we could help. By help, I don't mean that we want to teach a class or sing on the worship team. I simply mean that we wanted to make some friends, get involved in some fellowship, and labor where we might be needed. Unfortunately, in the past several months since, we've come to see why this church can't grow. There is so much immaturity that it's stunning. The pastor and his wife get into arguments during worship practice, then they talk about each other before service, and they're still in a bad mood during service. I've actually witnessed the pastor's wife come stomping into the fellowship hall, complaining about the pastor to another member, and start slamming dishes while she set up coffee and donuts. This should give you some idea of how the sermons go. This is the church's behavior across the board. There is always some petty spat going on between members, and it usually leads to some new childish policy. Church members come together for 2 or 3 hours Sunday morning, go through a well-worn routine, and then leave. We've invited people out to lunch, and we got no takers. When we asked about setting up a home group, we got a list of excuses that people were too busy or couldn't go across town. All these months later, we are no closer to having real friends there. We're not being fed, we have no friends, we feel like we're surrounded by children, and we never know when we're walking into another soap opera. And we can certainly forget about teaching a class or singing on the praise team because the old members are doing just fine without us. Church leaders tell us over and over that it's a sin to criticize pastors. I am sure that this pastor is depressed and overwhelmed. The last thing we want is to judge him. But what are we supposed to do? He's always too busy to meet with us. If we just stop going, we're quitters. If we tell him he may need counseling, we're critical. How do you take someone aside for a (loving) conversation about a problem when they're too busy for coffee, too overwhelmed for more bad news, and probably unable to do change anything?

Criticism is a great danger in the Church in our day where many are even thinking they are doing God a favour by being critical against others. K.P. Yohannan shares ways we can overcome criticism that is directed towards us and understand why people do these things so we can have empathy and compassion for them. Currently we are featuring on SermonIndex.net a sermon on Bitterness by K.P. Yohannan which goes into detail of why believers end up acting in these ways. Only with God’s help through forgiveness can we be freed of this sin and start to live in a way where we bless and not condemn others. Read below what K.P. Yohannan says about Criticism: — In our world, it seems impossible to escape criticism. If we do poorly at school or at work, people will criticize us. Should we do well and excel in business, we still face criticism from people who are jealous of our success. It seems to be a favorite pastime of the human race to take one person after another, good or bad, and “skin them alive” with criticism. What makes people act this way? Psychologists say one of the underlying reasons people criticize each other is to take revenge for the hurts they once received. Whether deserved or not, criticism is always painful. No one likes it. Yet people seem to enjoy themselves when others are cut down. Most believers have accepted the fact that the world will criticize us regardless of how saintly we may live or how many charitable contributions we may make. However, I have found that the greatest shock and discouragement for believers come when they realize that they encounter this same heartless criticism from their brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Of course, God never meant this to happen. But many Christians have never allowed the Lord to cleanse their lives from this destructive behavior. It’s a very serious problem; and if it is not dealt with, it easily can destroy a church. Imagine this: Jesus, the sinless Son of God, faced His worst criticism—not from the Roman government or from ungodly people—but from the most recognized and pious religious leaders of His nation. Paul experienced the same thing. His worst critics were people inside the Church, not the heathen he tried to win. In fact, he deals very thoroughly with this problem in his second letter to the church in Corinth. Whether criticism comes from the world or from within the Church, it is important for us to know how we should respond to it. Here are a few ways to Overcome: 1. Not To Pay Back - The Bible clearly instructs us in Romans 12:17 not to pay back evil for evil, which means we must not lash out and respond in anger in the same manner we were treated. 2. Maintain Love - On the contrary, God wants us to respond differently. We are to maintain our love for the brothers and trust the Lord to handle our defence. Only if we do this will the cycle of destructive criticism be broken. 3. Say No to Discouragement - The feelings of deep hurt and discouragement that follow criticism can easily bring us to a point of despair, giving up our calling or even suicide. In no way must we allow this to happen! If we give in, the enemy has reached his goal of stopping us from building God’s kingdom. 4. Look Objectively - The best we can do when we receive criticism is to look at it objectively. If the accusations are simply empty talk, we should dismiss them and by God’s grace go on with our life. 5. Be Willing to Change - Lastly, On the other hand, if there is any truth in the criticism, let us be willing to change, improve and grow in that area.