Guidance to those of Christian faith on ATS

Actually this is for everyone of faith but is clearly spelled out in the Christian bible. It was something I struggled with for decades, I just could not understand. "Why don't you accept the gospel and accept Jesus the Christ as your personal savior?" It took me 30 years before I sought counsel with God for this exact question and this is the message I received:

"Where were you when I created everything? Do you have some special power that I am not aware of? " "Have you forgotten when in disagreement to wipe off the dust from your shoes and leave that person in peace?"

See Matthew 10:14 and Luke 9:5 (Actually there are 57 versus in the bible concerning this subject)

And yet I was blind and did not understand. I became obsessed with spreading the Gospel so much at times I would get angry and continue to push on until the person would say yes just to get me to shut up!

God showed me how the other person felt by giving me a taste of what they felt and the damage I caused towards their personal beliefs, instead of showing love and respect; I disregarded their ideas about what they thought or felt about God.

When I was shown how I conducted myself, I would not call it zealous..... I call it being mean and disrespectful and very embarrassing.

It is not your job (OR MINE) to force the Gospel on anyone or any bible teaching and when told that person is not interested in your faith, then bless that person and walk away in peace and leave that person alone FOREVER unless they approach you with questions concerning Christianity.

Don't get caught up with those who want to argue or twist bible scripture. Leave them alone and work on your own faults. Examine your own life and find the mistakes and sins that YOU make and make the necessary changes in your life. By the time you are done with yourself you will find yourself to be an elderly person or dead.

God bless you all

a reply to: DeathSlayer
This applies also to those wanting to push a particular version of the faith upon other Christians.
A point dedicated to some of those Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, who have appeared on my threads.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: DeathSlayer
This applies also to those wanting to push a particular version of the faith upon other Christians.
A point dedicated to some of those Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, who have appeared on my threads.

So true. I always read your threads and enjoy them.

My wife's family is Catholic and my brother and his family are Jehovah Witnesses and others are atheist.

I see many who claim they are Christian but their lifestyles show otherwise .... giving the Christian name a bad name so I prefer to call myself a disciple of Christ and try to walk in his footsteps and when I fall, there is God helping me back up on my feet.

God bless you brother

a reply to: DeathSlayer

One sows and one waters and one harvest. The trick is to see where that person is at in Gods plan. Are you the one who sowed the seed? Are you the one who waters that seed that someone else sowed? Finally are you the one who brings in that harvest?

a reply to: PhilbertDezineck
And sometimes your job is just to go into the future cornfield and start shifting the heavy stones.

All ya gotta do is study the Scrioture.......read to get this dtuff.........

The Bible by itself gives the discernment to judge the truisms!!

It is not true that we need a priest to hear a confession....

Not true that the witnesses are the 144 k......

We will not have choice sex as Mormons in Heaven, being God's not being under Jesus since he is just a little god

See how it works........we love and rebuke those we encounter asking if they're ready to change. To what is written in that work from Gods6 pen

So, the base of truth is eritten.....it's a big thick book.....no, a love letter

We knew each other before the devils bargain........thinking that if we came from a pool of souls......then it follows we all prolly agreed to come down here born of mankind......idk

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: PhilbertDezineck
And sometimes your job is just to go into the future cornfield and start shifting the heavy stones.

Huh?

originally posted by: PhilbertDezineck

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: PhilbertDezineck
And sometimes your job is just to go into the future cornfield and start shifting the heavy stones.

Huh?

I think he is saying that there is work to do in the field before the plowing and sowing: move stones to the edge, cut down trees, cut the weeds, etc.

a reply to: Lazarus Short

I yeah, sounds like foundation work......

Hey, Disraeli.....I needed that......cool, I'm getting CLOBBERED these days from things coming at me sideways,

As I lay the foundation work talking to my next doors.....can't spell neighbors.....hehe......t alkin to an about Scripture and they look away......can't figure why Daniel doesn't care about his son more in Texas d of corrections. Josh......killed his passengers doin a hundred on that corner at Monte Carlo Bkvd.......Princeton

a reply to: DeathSlayer

Just like God won't force himself on us to make a decision, we have no right to force ourselves on other humans.

We must lead by love and example and plant seeds.

Good post.

a reply to: PhilbertDezineck
I'm just extending the basic metaphor. If you take a patch of land in the wilderness and try to turn it into a crop field, what might need to be done first?
What obstacles might need to be cleared from a person's mind before he's even ready to listen to the gospel?

You spend time in prayer with the Holy spirit. Do that before witnessing to them. Let the Holy Spirit speak through you. If they begin to reject the Lord, step back, and move on, but, continue to keep them in your prayers, until the Holy Spirit commands you to otherwise.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: PhilbertDezineck
I'm just extending the basic metaphor. If you take a patch of land in the wilderness and try to turn it into a crop field, what might need to be done first?
What obstacles might need to be cleared from a person's mind before he's even ready to listen to the gospel?

Oh my gosh this is a good good point. Many people have obstacles in their minds and hearts that need to be cleared out first. Heck- I was RAISED in the church. Sunday school, then Sunday worship service, then Sunday night class followed by worship service, and Wednesay night class and worship service. EVERY single week from birth TIL I left for college. And even then I kept attending on Sundays for my first two semesters.

So even someone raised in the church and well-versed (in a way) in the bible can still have many obstacles to clear in their head and heart. I had to leave Christianity completely and then wander through other faiths and thought systems, and even tried to be an athiest, before I was ready to finally hear the true gospel and see the real Jesus, whom I am so bonkers about now!!!!!!

We should defintiely keep DISRAELI's point in mind.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: DeathSlayer
This applies also to those wanting to push a particular version of the faith upon other Christians.
A point dedicated to some of those Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, who have appeared on my threads.

Yeah, this one is a problem in the body of Christ. I've never seen people insult one another and spew such dislike at one another (besides the left vs. right political sh*tshow these days) than as Christians who have different interpretations. I'm in a forum somewhere else that discusses different passages and concepts of the bible as interpreted through a "Divine Council" worldview (see Dr. Mike Heiser/Naked Bible blog/podcast if interested), but we rarely get to the topic because members are constantly yelling at eachother about Calvinism vs. Arianism, preterism vs. Pre-tribulation rapture, and many many other points of differing views. It's terrible. I always hope that a non-believer won't wander in and read the comments because if they do, they will NOT want to be a part of anything having to do with "Christians."

We have to focus on the non-negotiables (Jesus lived as a man, died, was buried, and was raised again to life) and leave the non-salvation issues to the side if we can't be loving and civil.

a reply to: KansasGirl

People will fight tooth and nail to defend their own truth. But as said in Clementine Homilies "if any one, as he pleases, form a dogma agreeable to himself, and then carefully search the Scriptures, he will be able to produce many testimonies from them in favour of the dogma that he has formed.".

I use to wonder why that was the case. I believe now that the bible has two messages. The deeper message is only to be understood when the reader attains a certain level of spirituality. When they are ready to sell all they have to buy the pearl. So I think this is what Peter, in Clementine Homilies meant, when he said, the "scriptures are presented as a test". We need learn to crawl before we can walk.

Discussion can be healthy. It allows us to test the integrity of our own dogma, against others.

originally posted by: KansasGirl

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: DeathSlayer
This applies also to those wanting to push a particular version of the faith upon other Christians.
A point dedicated to some of those Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, who have appeared on my threads.

Yeah, this one is a problem in the body of Christ. I've never seen people insult one another and spew such dislike at one another (besides the left vs. right political sh*tshow these days) than as Christians who have different interpretations. I'm in a forum somewhere else that discusses different passages and concepts of the bible as interpreted through a "Divine Council" worldview (see Dr. Mike Heiser/Naked Bible blog/podcast if interested), but we rarely get to the topic because members are constantly yelling at eachother about Calvinism vs. Arianism, preterism vs. Pre-tribulation rapture, and many many other points of differing views. It's terrible. I always hope that a non-believer won't wander in and read the comments because if they do, they will NOT want to be a part of anything having to do with "Christians."

We have to focus on the non-negotiables (Jesus lived as a man, died, was buried, and was raised again to life) and leave the non-salvation issues to the side if we can't be loving and civil.

Universalist that I am, I'm fairly certain I would be (so to speak) universally shouted down in that group.

a reply to: DeathSlayer


There is a new ATS member who just mentioned you as one of their favorites here. Go say hi.
Members name is Miri2019

(Introductions thread)

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: DeathSlayer
This applies also to those wanting to push a particular version of the faith upon other Christians.
A point dedicated to some of those Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, who have appeared on my threads.

If you believe that you can own a thread..... then you are a rich man.
A camel has more chance of getting through the eye of a needle and all that jazz!!

a reply to: Itisnowagain
That cheap jibe is inaccurate, because the word "my" is not limited to ownership. Somebody may talk about "my boss" or "my home town" without actually claiming to own them.
So here is a lesson which may help you in your search for greater literacy; Possessive pronouns may just be expressing a simple association.

a reply to: DISRAELI

'I have a boss..... I have a hometown.'

Who has anything?