Guest Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 ...and you find out reasons then healing. Listen not condemn. I have a wide range of friends. Some are atheists, gay, other denominations. I am interested in them. Two examples. One friend is gay and atheist and also a good person and great friend. This didn't happen by chance. He tells me grew up in a christian family. As a teenager he realised he is gay. The condemnation he faced drove him away from all religion. He has been with his partner for 30 years. He feels he has no need of God. Second. A male atheist. He told me as a child he was in a christian family. But his mother cruelly beat him if he showed reluctance to attend church. Once he grew up and left home, he refused ever to go to church again nor does he feel he needs God. So i say. Welcome and talk to all. Put your prejudices and assumptions aside. Everyone has their story. We are all sinners. Please don't condemn. Souls need direction and saving. It cannot be done by rejecting people. Anyone seen Les Miserables? In it everyone sees the main character as a hardened criminal, a sinner. Except the priest. He alone gives him kindness, respect and the chance to live a better life. A true man of God who snatches a condemned man away from the influences of the devil. By showing love. That is the key in my view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayin jade Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 44 Topic Count: 6,178 Topics Per Day: 0.88 Content Count: 43,795 Content Per Day: 6.21 Reputation: 11,243 Days Won: 58 Joined: 01/03/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2019 Unlike some, I put the word of God above modern feelings. I do talk to people. I do not limit myself to only those who believe as I do. I probably have had more exposure to other cultures and beliefs than you have had. None of that changes the word of God. I care about those who are lost. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael37 Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Servant Followers: 21 Topic Count: 241 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 6,943 Content Per Day: 3.27 Reputation: 4,867 Days Won: 2 Joined: 07/05/2018 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/23/1954 Share Posted July 31, 2019 45 minutes ago, Melinda12 said: ...and you find out reasons then healing. Listen not condemn. I have a wide range of friends. Some are atheists, gay, other denominations. I am interested in them. Two examples. One friend is gay and atheist and also a good person and great friend. This didn't happen by chance. He tells me grew up in a christian family. As a teenager he realised he is gay. The condemnation he faced drove him away from all religion. He has been with his partner for 30 years. He feels he has no need of God. Second. A male atheist. He told me as a child he was in a christian family. But his mother cruelly beat him if he showed reluctance to attend church. Once he grew up and left home, he refused ever to go to church again nor does he feel he needs God. So i say. Welcome and talk to all. Put your prejudices and assumptions aside. Everyone has their story. We are all sinners. Please don't condemn. Souls need direction and saving. It cannot be done by rejecting people. Anyone seen Les Miserables? In it everyone sees the main character as a hardened criminal, a sinner. Except the priest. He alone gives him kindness, respect and the chance to live a better life. A true man of God who snatches a condemned man away from the influences of the devil. By showing love. That is the key in my view. "Church" attendance and experience has never been a substitute for personal faith in Christ. Every institutional assembly of professing Christians that I have been involved in over 60+ years has proven itself more inclined to hypocrisy than holiness, such is the nature of the beast, so the whole issue of what the "church" does or doesn't do is a decoy, a sidetrack, a distraction from the real issue which is personal faith in Christ for Salvation. If the love of Jesus is in your heart and the living water of His Spirit flows out of you everything else is secondary. I may seem to be judgmental of those entrenched in institutional religious observance, but it is the system not the people I am critiquing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzephanyahu Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,625 Content Per Day: 0.79 Reputation: 2,033 Days Won: 1 Joined: 09/10/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2019 Shalom @Melinda12, I like this post a lot and love the message behind it! I agree with you that all should be welcome. I think that there needs to be a change after they have been welcomed in and tasted of the truth though. Otherwise there is a real potential danger of compromising the Word and people's walk. Bad company corrupts good character and a little leaven leavens the whole lump. So there must be a change from sinful ways before we can truly fellowship with them in church as a "brother" or "sister". That said, again I agree with you that all should be welcomed and shown love, regardless of their sins or errors. Thank you for posting this as a good and worthy reminder to us all. Love & Shalom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who me Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 17 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,300 Content Per Day: 1.72 Reputation: 1,685 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/27/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2019 2 hours ago, Melinda12 said: .... Listen not condemn. Two examples. One friend is gay and atheist and also a good person and great friend. This didn't happen by chance. He tells me grew up in a christian family. As a teenager he realised he is gay. The condemnation he faced drove him away from all religion. He has been with his partner for 30 years. He feels he has no need of God. Second. A male atheist. He told me as a child he was in a christian family. But his mother cruelly beat him if he showed reluctance to attend church. Once he grew up and left home, he refused ever to go to church again nor does he feel he needs God. It is interesting that both have reacted not to what they know about God but to how people have treated them. It is the equivilent to my saying:- My maths teacher was cruel and unfair so I don't believe in maths. We need always to spend more time listening to what people believe and to there experiences as well as being able to carefully point out the truth. As well as the fallicy of there believes, both here 'feel' no need of God, do the 'feel' the same aboutmaintaining there cars or do they complie with the law that states cars must be road worthy? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted July 31, 2019 2 hours ago, Melinda12 said: One friend is gay and atheist and also a good person and great friend. This didn't happen by chance. He tells me grew up in a christian family. As a teenager he realised he is gay. The condemnation he faced drove him away from all religion. He has been with his partner for 30 years. He feels he has no need of God. Second. A male atheist. He told me as a child he was in a christian family. But his mother cruelly beat him if he showed reluctance to attend church. Once he grew up and left home, he refused ever to go to church again nor does he feel he needs God. That's okay for you, Melinda. I enjoy interacting with people that casually cross my way when out in public places. However, I'm uncomfortable making more than acquaintances with those who 'feel' they have no need for God. There so little to find in common with people who have this kind of mind set. Their hearts are hardened. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 3 hours ago, Tzephanyahu said: Shalom @Melinda12, I like this post a lot and love the message behind it! I agree with you that all should be welcome. I think that there needs to be a change after they have been welcomed in and tasted of the truth though. Otherwise there is a real potential danger of compromising the Word and people's walk. Bad company corrupts good character and a little leaven leavens the whole lump. So there must be a change from sinful ways before we can truly fellowship with them in church as a "brother" or "sister". That said, again I agree with you that all should be welcomed and shown love, regardless of their sins or errors. Thank you for posting this as a good and worthy reminder to us all. Love & Shalom Thankyou. Yes indeed. It must work both ways. An open dialogue from christians but growth after a while and appreciation. A process of influencing good over evil. Jesus dined with sinners. His apostle Mathew was a tax collector, not many wanted to be his friend. Christ hung next to a murderer and instantly forgave him. He spoke to prostitutes, the woman at the well who was a long time fornicator. Etc etc. So what's our problem? Can we not lower ourselves to give people a chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted July 31, 2019 3 minutes ago, Melinda12 said: Jesus dined with sinners. His apostle Mathew was a tax collector, not many wanted to be his friend. Christ hung next to a murderer and instantly forgave him. He spoke to prostitutes, the woman at the well who was a long time fornicator. Etc etc. Notice that these weren't long-term relationships. Matthew was as exempt as was his former employ after meeting the Messiah of course. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzephanyahu Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,625 Content Per Day: 0.79 Reputation: 2,033 Days Won: 1 Joined: 09/10/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2019 6 minutes ago, Melinda12 said: So what's our problem? Can we not lower ourselves to give people a chance? A student is not greater than his master... I'm sure your passion for reaching the lost will be tied to your Spiritual gift. May Yahweh bless you richly for your kind heart. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted July 31, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 44 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.93 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted July 31, 2019 (edited) As for choosing one's friends who are hardened atheists. Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. KJV I would decide not to keep such close relationships with fools. Just saying. Edited July 31, 2019 by BeauJangles 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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