How do you deal with people of different faiths?

[henry 2]

You mentioned that you felt God was unjust. Why do you say that?

i think u had mixed postes the previous post mentioned that not me...as for me i tell my story before but i would be plesure to tell again for u...i was born cristian but i dont now much about cristianity because my parents where rarely going to the church...i feel religion is with that important in someone life...also we live in an arab contry=between muslims ...they now am not from since i dont look like them and so they try to ask me about cristianity the trinity one of them was about to embaress me he wants me to convince him with the trenity or he would convince me that it is not true...i feel thretened and also they with one of freinds and convince him to go with them to the jumua=fridy priay:i think they also go with him to the church...in fact am some times afraid of them...because they seems very faithful...i dont now but am scared of talking to yhem because am afraid they convince me...i mean what ever i ask them they ansewer with a quiet logicall answer...may be i dont now how to ask ...any way this is my story ...would you help me...god bless you

Edited September 18, 2009 by henry 2

[Rhonda Lou]

You mentioned that you felt God was unjust. Why do you say that?

i think u had mixed postes the previous post mentioned that not me...as for me i tell my story before but i would be plesure to tell again for u...i was born cristian but i dont now much about cristianity because my parents where rarely going to the church...i feel religion is with that important in someone life...also we live in an arab contry=between muslims ...they now am not from since i dont look like them and so they try to ask me about cristianity the trinity one of them was about to embaress me he wants me to convince him with the trenity or he would convince me that it is not true...i feel thretened and also they with one of freinds and convince him to go with them to the jumua=fridy priay:i think they also go with him to the church...in fact am some times afraid of them...because they seems very faithful...i dont now but am scared of talking to yhem because am afraid they convince me...i mean what ever i ask them they ansewer with a quiet logicall answer...may be i dont now how to ask ...any way this is my story ...would you help me...god bless you

Henry 2, I will try to help you, and have been praying for you. Yes, I read some of that before. It did not sound like you knew much about Chrstianity, or had been to church much, and just being born of Christian parents does not make you a Christian. I wanted to make sure that I was right in my guess that you think you are a Christian because you were born of Christian parents or go to a Christian church. I didn't want to assume anything. By the sounds of things, you WANT to be a Christian, or at least that you do NOT want to be a Muslim. I sort of spelled out Christianity before but want to go over it again in much more detail. typing out the passages. This may take some back and forth. If you feel more comfortable, you can send me personal messages on this web-site, or my email address is:

servantanna@yahoo.com

First of all, I'm not very good at this, so God, please speak through me right now!! Henry 2 needs to hear what you have to tell him. I can't relatie to his circumstances, and I barely know him, but you do -- please guide me here!! Write through me!! In your blessed name, Jesus, I pray!! AMEN!!

Henry 2, you are loved by God, but your sin is hated by Him. God created you for a purpose that only you could do. We are all here for the benefit of others. But, we are not able to do what God wants us to do. Sin gets in our way. Not "sins" -- they are an extension of the sin nature that is in us. For example, t might steal something because I want it? Why do I want it? Because I'm jealous that others have it? Why am I jealous? Because my only concern is myself and so I want it for myself even at another's expense. At the heart of that, I have made myself into a "god" -- I worship my self, meet "my" needs, cater to "m self". So the stealing is a by-product of the self-worship. In worshiping myself, I am not worshiping God. Or I may be upset at somebod for hurting me. Or I might help somebody to hear them thank me. At the root of our being, in our spirit, we rebel against authority because we want to be in control; we are proud and independent, wanting to be "better" than anybody else; in short, we are rebellious and selfish, and nearly everything we do stems from this. We are not capable of loving God because we want to BE "god". In my case, I wanted to stop doing that -- I wanted to love others asking nothing in return -- totally self-lessly ALL THE TIME -- not just moments here and there. My motives found me out and I knew I needed help to be truly loving.

I grew up in the church, and was taught that to change that, I needed to sourround myself with God. I tried other things, read about other religions, but they always fell short. Some people believe there is no God, but people have been able to do things people can't do, and there is generally such order in the universe and in me, that I didn't believe that. Some, like the Muslims, believe that Allah is god, but Allah began as just a moon god, and even today, one has to be good to earn Allah's pleasure -- and nobody can be good. Surrounded by Muslims may be one reason why you don't think God is just, as he punishes people for their sins, and one has to work very hard to make him happy. But that is not what God is like.

They have one thing right: God HATES sin. Habakkuk 1:14 says that God's eyes are so pure that He can not look upon sin. But I can't do anything to change me into somebody that God could accept -- I still have those bad motives, and believe me, I've tried to change. So, how could God ever accept me? The answer lies in Jesus.

Jesus is God. In fact, the Bible says that Jesus is the One God the Father uses to show Himself visibly -- even before He came to earth as a human. But, even before anybody was born, Jesus said that He would pay the penalty for man's sin -- that sin who motivates man into wrong behavior -- not the wrong behavior itself. Jesus' coming as a man was a mutual decision between the Father and the Son. So, Jesus came as a man. He ate, slept, bled, got sore, everything possible as a man, but yet He was also God and was able to forgive sins, raise people from the dead, heal people, and knew things about people before He was tald about them. In every way He was and is God and in every way, He is a man. Since it was that rebellious nature in a man which committed sin, then may in general had to pay for their own rebellious nature. Jesus needed to be a man, so that He could die as a man. God cannot die, but man can. God took out all of His wrath against that sin nature on Jesus at the cross. Jesus was tortured, betrayed, hung on a cross, had a horrible, horrible death, but in His death as a man, God's wrath against sin was satisfied. The penalty was paid. Our sins were nailed on the cross. But the nature which caused them is still a part of us. In short, just because we are forgiven does not mean that we are changed. How do we get away from worshiping self, to loving God as we should? How can we get to love others without wanting anything in return ALL THE TIME?

God's answer to that is that sence Jesus is also God, and did not die, Jesus could raise His own mortal (man) body up from the dead -- particularly since He never did anything to deserve death to begin with -- He had no sin nature, nor did He ever sin -- He just took OUR sins with Him to the cross. So, Jesus was raised from the dead. He went into heaven where He becomes our defense attorney against Satan's accusations, and now that He has lived with us, He knows even better what we go through. As God He knows already, but it is really deeper now that He has experienced it. Now, when He went to heaven, He sent His Spirit to live inside everybody who believes in His death and resurrection on their behalf. To those who believe, the Spirit comes inside them and they are changed. Their new spirit DOES want even more to be what God called them to be, and now they have the Holsy Spirit's power to pull it off. God changes them. It is not an instance of being saved so now we can go and do whatever we want. Our whole purpose for being saved was to get away from doing whatever we wanted at another's expense. In a sense, when we tell God that we will do whatever it takes to change, what we are doing is "repenting" or "turning away from" our old life, and turning TO Jesus to change us. Therefore, we don't go out and do what we want -- He has changed us, and that is what we asked for in the first place.

Now, because we have a new spirit, we always want to do good, to be good, and we celebrate God, and being what He wants us to be. That part is forever and always -- 24/7. But, we still live in our bodies, and it is capable of sin. Have you ever told somebody that you loved them, but didn't like them much at the moment? Both are true -- in a deep part of you, your core, you truly love the other person, but in your "flesh" or "body" for whatever reason you don't like them much at the moment. Even before salvation, we can get it right -- but not all the time. After salvation, our deep core will always feel the right thing. God works in us to help us live by the part that always gets it right, and less by the part that messes up. That's what Christian growth is. Romans 8 says that we will know we are Christians if we have the Spirit of God in us -- if we always have that part that feels the right things.

If you are tired of yourself, and want to be everything God wants you to be, then just tell God that you believe that Jesus died and rose for you, that He can and will (and wants to change you) and that you'll do anything to change -- even if "anything" is just believing. You also tell Him that you want Him to be the Lord of your life, because you know that He will change you from the inside out as you listen to Him and obey Him -- and you want that change more than anything in the world. That is how to be a Christian.

But please know this: God loves YOU!! He wants only the best for you!! Please accept His offer, and then you will love Him in return. It may not always make logical sense, faith is not always logical. But when "logic" doesn't work, or change you, then try "faith" and see how it works.

Rhonda

[Rhonda Lou]

You mentioned that you felt God was unjust. Why do you say that?

i think u had mixed postes the previous post mentioned that not me...as for me i tell my story before but i would be plesure to tell again for u...i was born cristian but i dont now much about cristianity because my parents where rarely going to the church...i feel religion is with that important in someone life...also we live in an arab contry=between muslims ...they now am not from since i dont look like them and so they try to ask me about cristianity the trinity one of them was about to embaress me he wants me to convince him with the trenity or he would convince me that it is not true...i feel thretened and also they with one of freinds and convince him to go with them to the jumua=fridy priay:i think they also go with him to the church...in fact am some times afraid of them...because they seems very faithful...i dont now but am scared of talking to yhem because am afraid they convince me...i mean what ever i ask them they ansewer with a quiet logicall answer...may be i dont now how to ask ...any way this is my story ...would you help me...god bless you

Does anybody on Worthy Boards know of a Christian ministry in Henry 2's area which might be able to help him on a day in day out basis since I don't live anywhere near an Arab country? Thank you for any help you can provide. I don't mind answering questions, but I'm not right there. Thanks again!!

Edited September 18, 2009 by Rhonda Lou

[henry 2]

hi rahounda lou it is really nice from to remember me ...in fact yes am having some bad times...am concened by reading now...i want to every thing about christianity ...what sall i read except the bibbel...i want also to read the quran...and some islamic website...i want to know how do these people think...i yhink as far as am convinced with christianity as the truth i can learn about other faithes wit no fair...actually i need to discovery thr truth...i have a question i you dont mind:we here always about christians how change their religion to islam i heard an american pop star how become muslim...i cant anderstand this...when thinking of it my mind hert me...am thinking of speaking with one of them...wile in the other hand i had never herted about a muslim or jui how become christian...sorry if am veru honest but i need to understand....what shall i do...what do you advice me to do ...i think god i had you to listen to me..god bless you

[Rhonda Lou]

hi rahounda lou it is really nice from to remember me ...in fact yes am having some bad times...am concened by reading now...i want to every thing about christianity ...what sall i read except the bibbel...i want also to read the quran...and some islamic website...i want to know how do these people think...i yhink as far as am convinced with christianity as the truth i can learn about other faithes wit no fair...actually i need to discovery thr truth...i have a question i you dont mind:we here always about christians how change their religion to islam i heard an american pop star how become muslim...i cant anderstand this...when thinking of it my mind hert me...am thinking of speaking with one of them...wile in the other hand i had never herted about a muslim or jui how become christian...sorry if am veru honest but i need to understand....what shall i do...what do you advice me to do ...i think god i had you to listen to me..god bless you

Henry 2,

I don't know about God putting me here for you -- I just feel so scared and inadequate -- I don't want to blow this, your salvation is too big a price for me to mess it up. Oh, how I pray that God speaks through me!!

About Christianity, what exactly do you want to know? I don't really know a place to start. I started with how to be saved, do you want the Scriptures on that? What other questions do you have?

I can't understand people turning away from Christianity myself. I could make guesses, but then it would be like I assumed something I shouldn't assume. The only thing I know is that the Bible says this about the end times: "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:11-12) What this says to me is that people will come and teach lies, whith professing Christians (those who say they are saved, but who aren't -- they just THINK they are saved) will believe and their love for God and each other will die, or grow cold. 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 7; 4:3-4 says: But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. And from such people turn away...(they will be) always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth...For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heepp up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." This means that people will love themselves so they'll only want to hear things which promote themselves. They won't want to hear about dying to self. They will love money, so they'll only want to hear that if they have faith, God will give them whatever they want. On the Internet, people can find any view they want, so if one person says one thing, and somebody else counters it, that causes doubts also. In the meantime their love of God decreases. They have a "form of godliness" meaning they go to church regularly, take communion, do "Bible study", etc, but they don't have the Holy Spirit inside them, and so they do not have His power. 've been to churches where many "Bible studies" show how the Bible is wrong here or there, or that it spoke about things long ago, or whatever, so that we don't study what they Bible says, we study "about" the Bible instead, with an ear to why that does not apply to us. I weep because so many Christians have gone so far astray. Yet the truth is still there in the Bible, and Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I hope this answers your question about why many people turn away from the faith.

There are Muslims and Jews becoming Christians. An Arab country would not want to broadcast this information, but it is true. Muslims and Jews who accept Christ as their personal Savior and Lord get persecuted by their former faith. Professing Christians who turn away do not get persecuted by other Christians. That's why you hear more about former "Christians" than former Muslims and Jews who become Christians. I want to share some web-sites with you.

The first is a Christian ministry, with resources which might be able to help you understand Christianity better. It is John MacArthur's Grace to You..

http://www.gty.org/

The second is more about the moon God Allah which Muslims worship. There are many links on this web-site, as a way for you to find out much more about this:

http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/islam.htm

The third is testimonials from former Muslims, and why they changed from their faith:

http://www.answering-islam.org/Testimonies/index.html

And the final two are about Jews who became Christians:

http://www.allaboutreligion.org/messianic-jew.htm

http://www.jews-for-jesus.org/

Hopefully, these will be able to help you.

I'm continuing to pray for you.

Rhonda

Edited September 25, 2009 by Rhonda Lou

[mjrhealth]

Henry 2, hi, ill just add a few cooments, first off you are not inadeqaute, dont think that just becasue you dont kno wthe bible well, or dont go to church often, or think yor preyers are no good, that God cant use you, you are just the man he is looking for. The pharrisees in the OT where smart, they had teh Torah, they knew all abourt Jesus but when He came they missed Him, because there heads got in the way, it happens today, instead of people coming to know Jesus, they fill there heads with bible stuff and never reall come to the Knowledge of Christ, knowing Him. REda abou Saul. he wasd a pharrisee, well loved by his pears because of waht he knew, then when he had a revelation of Jesus, he counted all he knew for nothing, He just wanted to know Jesus. God doesnt want smart people, He loves those willing too humble themsleves before Him and say Lord, i know nothing , Teach me.

In His Love

[Gold David]

I control my anger and later tell them in a low voice that Jesus is God.

It is not good to argue with them cause when they are talking with you about your faith it is a great chance to tell them about Christ but it happens.

A fellow Christian who is sorrounded by Hindus & Buddhists