witnessing to an unbeliever who is open to Christ but needs questions

[xhistragedyx]

Hey guys! i was talking to a distant friend on msn messanger last night, he is an unbeliever but is almost there if you know what i mean

We were talking about how i am a Christian, and we actually had a very mature, decent conversation both sides respecting and listening to one another. He is very open to the idea of becoming a follow of Christ. I answered what i could. I thought u guys could shine some light on this and help me. I told him i would email him and follow up on it.

This is some of the msn conversation, and the questions he so desperately wants answered. (names have been changed)

sam says:

yea, but what do you believe, because every Christian I know has very different beliefs

this side of brightness says:

that you can have an amazing personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have him impact your life in ways u would not begin to believe and that Jesus is the son of God.

sam says:

real world impacts? or just psychological, like "I feel good today"...

sam says:

like god made a copy of himself in human form, for us to torture and murder so that he could convince himself to forgive us for not being the way he intended us. Even though he knew it would turn out that way?

this side of brightness says:

seeing people set free from there past, healing, freedom, Jc is like a friend you get to know on earth like..the more time u spend with him the more u get to know him and the more u become like him...i dont mean that in a vain way because nobodys perfect but u get his heart and his mindset and all those good things that are of God

sam says:

I'm not trying to offend you by the way, I'm just asking the questions to the things that would stop me from becoming Christian

sam says:

Another thing is, You believe in free will right, that we make our own choices independent of the rules of the universe

this side of brightness says:

yeah fully man i believe in freewill we have a mind and a soul a spirit and emotions God didnt want robots walking the earth

this side of brightness says:

life without God can only take u so far

sam says:And God is omniscient right?

this side of brightness says:

a relationship with jc can take you further than you thought you could ever go

this side of brightness says:

God is omniscient yes

this side of brightness says:

they are all the same

this side of brightness says:

father son holyspirit

samsays:

but, if god is omniscient, and we have freewill...isnt that a logical fallacy?

If god knows everything, he knows the choices we would make before we were born, so they were never really our choices to make....

sam says:

but people of other religions tell me the same thing

sam says:

and no one can ever answer my questions

sam says:

if you can answer my questions then I'll have no choice but to believe

samsays:

I cant force myself to believe something that is unbelievable to me.

sam says:

I can join you in your mosh pit at your church

sam says:

oh yea, and what about Jesus saying not to practice religion in public, you should keep it private and not show off?

this side of brightness says:

he knew the choices, but he didnt make them for us... its like reading the paper, we know what happened, but we had no control over them

sam says:

that means I was destined to make those choices

samsays:

it was inescapable before my birth

this side of brightness says:

correct

this side of brightness says:

born into a sin stained and fallen world

this side of brightness says:

but the choice still remains in each human being

sam says:

choices we could never choose

sam says:

god would know my ultimate choice before I've ever made it

sam says:

before I've decided

sam says:

...it just doesnt work, its 2 opposing arguments that come into conflict

this side of brightness says:

i guess thats where faith comes into it

this side of brightness says:

and you cant really have faith until you know that you know that God is real in your life

samsays:

I have to go soon, but I like talking to you, maybe one day you can convince me your right and I'll join you, But if I dont change, I want you to know that athiesim isnt all gloomy like many people think, athiesim doesnt define anything about you, just that you cant believe in God. My outlook on life is very positive, and when I read about the world, and the

way the universe works, it blows my mind and I feel uplifted

sam says:

but I'm not trying to destroy your faith or anything

this side of brightness says:

well keep ur heart open ill pray for you

this side of brightness says:

god knows our decisions and choices, but he does nothing to change them even if they are bad in his eyes, essentially life is ours to loose... we have to make the decision if we want to keep it

and the decision if we want to keep it is to accept that jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, if we dont accept that then we will have to pay ourselves

sam says:

but knowing what the outcome is going to be and choosing not to alter it still does not make it free will. Its like choosing not to stop the ball rolling down the hill

let me know your thoughts on his questions please! this is a soul that hopefully will be destined for Heaven!

Amen!

Edited March 5, 2008 by xhistragedyx

[artsylady]

yea, but what do you believe, because every Christian I know has very different beliefs

this side of brightness says:

that you can have an amazing personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have him impact your life in ways u would not begin to believe and that Jesus is the son of God.

I might add that we are all at different levels because we're all at different walks.

sam says:

real world impacts? or just psychological, like "I feel good today"...

sam says:

like god made a copy of himself in human form, for us to torture and murder so that he could convince himself to forgive us for not being the way he intended us. Even though he knew it would turn out that way?

this side of brightness says:

seeing people set free from there past, healing, freedom, Jc is like a friend you get to know on earth like..the more time u spend with him the more u get to know him and the more u become like him...i dont mean that in a vain way because nobodys perfect but u get his heart and his mindset and all those good things that are of God

Good answer.

As far as "I feel good today", I would say that knowing that you are in the truth brings the greatest joy. There are so many different belief systems out there, but this one claims ultimate truth. Is it? Was Jesus Christ the son of God? Is he the truth. This is what you need to ask yourself. Ask him to read Simon Greenleaf, who was the Royall Professor of Evidence at Harvard. He has a few essays out there. His student posed a question, "who was Jesus" and based on evidence, he concluded that Jesus was the son of God and converted.

He needs to know that this is the truth, not just how he can benefit from it daily. It's not a psychiatric fix like a pill that will make us feel better. It's the truth.

The world has no hope. Christ brings home. Jesus was here to bring joy and hope to mankind. We all have struggles, Christians have struggles, but we can lean on Christ and know he's there.

Like Mel Gibson said (loosely paraphrased) It's a knowing that everything will be okay. And even if it's not okay, it's still okay."

sam says:

I'm not trying to offend you by the way, I'm just asking the questions to the things that would stop me from becoming Christian

sam says:

Another thing is, You believe in free will right, that we make our own choices independent of the rules of the universe

this side of brightness says:

yeah fully man i believe in freewill we have a mind and a soul a spirit and emotions God didnt want robots walking the earth

this side of brightness says:

life without God can only take u so far

sam says:And God is omniscient right?

this side of brightness says:

a relationship with jc can take you further than you thought you could ever go

this side of brightness says:

God is omniscient yes

this side of brightness says:

they are all the same

this side of brightness says:

father son holyspirit

samsays:

but, if got is omniscient, and we have freewill...isnt that a logical fallacy?

If god knows everything, he knows the choices we would make before we were born, so they were never really our choices to make....

God may know the future, he may know what decision you make, yes, but are you going to reject him because of that? Maybe he knows you will choose Him?

sam says:

but people of other religions tell me the same thing

sam says:

and no one can ever answer my questions

sam says:

if you can answer my questions then I'll have no choice but to believe

samsays:

I cant force myself to believe something that is unbelievable to me.

I could write a book here to answer this. Hmmm. I will pm you with some stuff to read so as not to make this too long.

What I would suggest is that you look at the apologetics section of this site. A lot of atheists here ask the same questions - although they are not open to the answers. They ask more to try to steer us from our faith so that they can feel justified in their own. But if this guy is open, then he may be open to the answers.

[Guest Biblicist]

Hello, xhistragedyx,

I will give you some passages from God's word, then hopefully you can share them with this person and God will reveal Himself to him. Sounds like this person knows quite a bit of the basics. Did he tell you he is not a Christian?

The most basic belief he needs is that God is THE God, Jesus Christ is God, God's son, came to earth to die, lived a sinless life, rose from the Grave whole and complete and now sits at the right hand of God the father, and that the Holy Spirit is God, who dwells in believers till the return of Jesus Christ.

God bless you for your calling and patience to witness to the unsaved.

like god made a copy of himself in human form, for us to torture and murder so that he could convince himself to forgive us for not being the way he intended us. Even though he knew it would turn out that way?

Jesus was not a copy of God, he was/is God.

John 8

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Jesus was the promised Messiah, he came willingly for our salvation.

Genesis 3

15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel."

Jesus came to take our punishment, the punishment we deserved, so we could attain eternal life.

Luke 22

19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

sam says:

I'm not trying to offend you by the way, I'm just asking the questions to the things that would stop me from becoming Christian

sam says:

Another thing is, You believe in free will right, that we make our own choices independent of the rules of the universe

this side of brightness says:

yeah fully man i believe in freewill we have a mind and a soul a spirit and emotions God didnt want robots walking the earth

this side of brightness says:

life without God can only take u so far

sam says:And God is omniscient right?

this side of brightness says:

a relationship with jc can take you further than you thought you could ever go

this side of brightness says:

God is omniscient yes

this side of brightness says:

they are all the same

this side of brightness says:

father son holyspirit

samsays:

but, if god is omniscient, and we have freewill...isnt that a logical fallacy?

If god knows everything, he knows the choices we would make before we were born, so they were never really our choices to make....

Romans 8

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Ephesians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

[O'Dannyboy]

But if I dont change, I want you to know that athiesim isnt all gloomy like many people think, athiesim doesnt define anything about you, just that you cant believe in God. My outlook on life is very positive, and when I read about the world, and the

way the universe works, it blows my mind and I feel uplifted

What your friend is unaware of is how much your outlook on death can affect how you live your life. We have been told that Jesus makes a places for us in his fathers house and so we have the promise of life in heaven with our lord and savior. The peace this brings is an undeniable part of the salvation experiance. This knowledge alone affects how we relate to other people and in turn how we are treated and so in itself is life changing. All this before we even go into our relationship with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Life as an athiest, despite their optimism, is hardly what one would call fulfilling. When you have accepted Christ as your saviour, even tribulation brings fulfullment.

[Honeybee88]

What I wish I knew was why unbelievers think every time that just because God knows the future that He controls what we do? I can't reconcile our human responsibility with God's sovereignty myself, but I guess I just take God's word by faith and realize that I may never understand how it all works, and that's ok. After all, He's God, and I'm not.