Preaching to atheists

[Annika]

Hello all

A few friends of mine are atheists and I'd really like to share my faith with them as they are both going through some very trying times.  One is full of anger towards her father who has had an affair with another woman and the other is depressed and doesn't think she's made the right life decisions.  I feel like the latter might be easier to reach as she is less anti religion than the former (in fact, I never told the former of my conversion at all) but it begs the question -- how do you go about spreading the faith to atheists?

For the record, I was an atheist up until two years ago.  I'm not going to say my road to faith was an easy one, and it's a road that most atheists either stay away from or don't continue the journey to its completion.  I feel like I do have an insight into atheist thought processes, and it's honestly not a case that we are "just angry with God" (although with one vocal atheist, a certain Mr. Dawkins, I have certainly had my suspicions).  The fact is, atheists don't like to place their faith in a holy text filled with supernatural happenings and stuff that goes against absolutely everything they know or think they know about the world.  To change their minds is roughly equivalent to pulling a giant rock out from under their feet and replacing it with another.  As an atheist, I used to hate being proselytised to as it made me feel uncomfortable, put on the spot and irritated with myself that I hadn't crossed the road earlier.

This all having been said, I would love to reach them.  I've prayed for them (not for their salvation so much as the hope that the Holy Spirit will guide them towards some kind of peace) but I'm also in regular phone contact with my depressed friend and have been giving her secular advice on applying to university and joining clubs to help her get out of her rut.  Apparently I give good advice, who knew?  Since she's been receptive to that, I'd love to try and help her reach God.  I do talk about my church, but I know that isn't going to be enough.

I guess the big question is, how do I go about doing this in a way that's not so subtle it won't have any effect, WITHOUT making her feel the same way about me as I felt about those street preachers?

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

~Annika

[enoob57]

Let the light that is in you (God's Love) shine out to them... Pray that they should repent and place your heart at God's disposal of bringing it about! Lay down your life and be receptive to the Life that is in you and you will fulfill The Will of God in this...   Prayed...Love, Steven

[Churchmouse]

 how close are you to these two peaople? I know you said they were freinds, but have you really gotten to know them.? There is a lot that goes on in a persons life and a good measure that relates to nothing but fear and anxiety. , To bring anyone to Christ they must recognize that what they are doing out there is not working for them and you really need to have a sit down with them one at a time and go deap to find out what is really going on. Having quality perswonal time with someone who is hurting will give them the chance to know that you are truly concerned with them as a person 

I would listen intently and then give them what you've gone through that most closely matches what they are going through and tell them, step by step how you became a Christian and what it has done for you in your life.

This will give them a vissual of your road to mesh around in their head. It is laying seed in them without being pushy.  People who have been inundated with the medias paint job of us always have that mindset that we are pushy and you really don't want to raise that spectre, you might just loose ground with that, if it happens.

 

You should ask them if they would like to come with you to church the next time you go and even if they decline, you should show up at her oor the day of church to see if they have changed their minds.

 

I turned my life over to God after playing around with the idea, while my life fell apart around me. It was when everything started collapsing in on itself that I made that final leap into his arms.

 

People are distracted by the distraction of a modern world and need to focus on them. Your friends sound like they have a lot on their plate and need to understand that the path we have chosen leads to an individual who can help them with themselves and their problems.

[ravindran]

6 hours ago, Annika said:

Hello all

A few friends of mine are atheists and I'd really like to share my faith with them as they are both going through some very trying times.  One is full of anger towards her father who has had an affair with another woman and the other is depressed and doesn't think she's made the right life decisions.  I feel like the latter might be easier to reach as she is less anti religion than the former (in fact, I never told the former of my conversion at all) but it begs the question -- how do you go about spreading the faith to atheists?

For the record, I was an atheist up until two years ago.  I'm not going to say my road to faith was an easy one, and it's a road that most atheists either stay away from or don't continue the journey to its completion.  I feel like I do have an insight into atheist thought processes, and it's honestly not a case that we are "just angry with God" (although with one vocal atheist, a certain Mr. Dawkins, I have certainly had my suspicions).  The fact is, atheists don't like to place their faith in a holy text filled with supernatural happenings and stuff that goes against absolutely everything they know or think they know about the world.  To change their minds is roughly equivalent to pulling a giant rock out from under their feet and replacing it with another.  As an atheist, I used to hate being proselytised to as it made me feel uncomfortable, put on the spot and irritated with myself that I hadn't crossed the road earlier.

This all having been said, I would love to reach them.  I've prayed for them (not for their salvation so much as the hope that the Holy Spirit will guide them towards some kind of peace) but I'm also in regular phone contact with my depressed friend and have been giving her secular advice on applying to university and joining clubs to help her get out of her rut.  Apparently I give good advice, who knew?  Since she's been receptive to that, I'd love to try and help her reach God.  I do talk about my church, but I know that isn't going to be enough.

I guess the big question is, how do I go about doing this in a way that's not so subtle it won't have any effect, WITHOUT making her feel the same way about me as I felt about those street preachers?

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

~Annika

Hello Annika. Pray for them and share experiences and testimony rather than trying to preach to them or prove them wrong. I think we would never win souls by proving they are wrong. A person coming to Lord is work of Holy Spirit and not through human wisdom. If they are going through a difficult time, let them see the burden your soul has for them. Share testimonies of how Lord has brought you through difficult times in your life. Let them see Christ in you. They would listen as long as you are not pushing something to them.

[AngelofAshes]

Continue to give advice while continuing to live as a Christian. Ask God to fill you with wisdom and encouragement that they may wonder where you received it from. Sometimes if they ask you where it comes from you will be able to point out a verse of scripture where you got it from or that you got it from God. Now, they may not believe you at first, but it might spark enough interest for them to search the word themselves. 

When I was in high school I knew a couple of atheist. One girl in particular was angry at her father and continued to go into bad things like drugs in an attempt to get his attention. She had a best friend who was christian who would preach down her throat all the time and she also had me, who did not preach down her throat, but just was there for her. She knew I was Christian and would repeatedly tell me that she was glad I wasn't someone who did that, she enjoyed my advice(about her dad and drugs) and years later she got out of her drug habit and went to school to become a lawyer like her father. He and her eventually became on decent terms(funny how things work like that). I don't know if she has converted from atheism, as I have now lost contact with her since then, but I can see the advice I gave her definitely impacted her. Sometimes impacting people's lives in a positive way is a good way for God to lure them in because we might not be the ones that God uses to deliver the message about Him that makes them become Christian, you know? Sometimes we are just planting or watering seeds until someone comes along to witness the full harvest.

My point is, don't put so much pressure on yourself to push them into christianity. Just by being there for these people and letting them know you are Christian is sometimes in itself sharing your faith. If you still feel the need to go further than what you've been doing while not coming off as others who have approached you in the past then just think about what would make you feel good about going to the faith if you were in their shoes and ask God about it. Know that when it comes to witnessing, God is the one that will open the door and prepare these peoples' hearts. 

I hope this helped in some way.

 

[RustyAngeL]

On 10/11/2016 at 3:10 AM, Annika said:

Hello all

A few friends of mine are atheists and I'd really like to share my faith with them as they are both going through some very trying times.  One is full of anger towards her father who has had an affair with another woman and the other is depressed and doesn't think she's made the right life decisions.  I feel like the latter might be easier to reach as she is less anti religion than the former (in fact, I never told the former of my conversion at all) but it begs the question -- how do you go about spreading the faith to atheists?

For the record, I was an atheist up until two years ago.  I'm not going to say my road to faith was an easy one, and it's a road that most atheists either stay away from or don't continue the journey to its completion.  I feel like I do have an insight into atheist thought processes, and it's honestly not a case that we are "just angry with God" (although with one vocal atheist, a certain Mr. Dawkins, I have certainly had my suspicions).  The fact is, atheists don't like to place their faith in a holy text filled with supernatural happenings and stuff that goes against absolutely everything they know or think they know about the world.  To change their minds is roughly equivalent to pulling a giant rock out from under their feet and replacing it with another.  As an atheist, I used to hate being proselytised to as it made me feel uncomfortable, put on the spot and irritated with myself that I hadn't crossed the road earlier.

This all having been said, I would love to reach them.  I've prayed for them (not for their salvation so much as the hope that the Holy Spirit will guide them towards some kind of peace) but I'm also in regular phone contact with my depressed friend and have been giving her secular advice on applying to university and joining clubs to help her get out of her rut.  Apparently I give good advice, who knew?  Since she's been receptive to that, I'd love to try and help her reach God.  I do talk about my church, but I know that isn't going to be enough.

I guess the big question is, how do I go about doing this in a way that's not so subtle it won't have any effect, WITHOUT making her feel the same way about me as I felt about those street preachers?

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

~Annika

Praise God you have found the truth.  

As was stated, let that light in you shine, let them see your fruits and share you struggles with them. Be honest and open, but most of all pray for them.

[believeUme]

On 11/10/2016 at 7:10 PM, Annika said:

Hello all

A few friends of mine are atheists and I'd really like to share my faith with them as they are both going through some very trying times.  One is full of anger towards her father who has had an affair with another woman and the other is depressed and doesn't think she's made the right life decisions.  I feel like the latter might be easier to reach as she is less anti religion than the former (in fact, I never told the former of my conversion at all) but it begs the question -- how do you go about spreading the faith to atheists?

For the record, I was an atheist up until two years ago.  I'm not going to say my road to faith was an easy one, and it's a road that most atheists either stay away from or don't continue the journey to its completion.  I feel like I do have an insight into atheist thought processes, and it's honestly not a case that we are "just angry with God" (although with one vocal atheist, a certain Mr. Dawkins, I have certainly had my suspicions).  The fact is, atheists don't like to place their faith in a holy text filled with supernatural happenings and stuff that goes against absolutely everything they know or think they know about the world.  To change their minds is roughly equivalent to pulling a giant rock out from under their feet and replacing it with another.  As an atheist, I used to hate being proselytised to as it made me feel uncomfortable, put on the spot and irritated with myself that I hadn't crossed the road earlier.

This all having been said, I would love to reach them.  I've prayed for them (not for their salvation so much as the hope that the Holy Spirit will guide them towards some kind of peace) but I'm also in regular phone contact with my depressed friend and have been giving her secular advice on applying to university and joining clubs to help her get out of her rut.  Apparently I give good advice, who knew?  Since she's been receptive to that, I'd love to try and help her reach God.  I do talk about my church, but I know that isn't going to be enough.

I guess the big question is, how do I go about doing this in a way that's not so subtle it won't have any effect, WITHOUT making her feel the same way about me as I felt about those street preachers?

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

~Annika

You don't, making opportunity end's in failure.

Wait for opportunity.