- Can You Hear Me Now? by Ready2Rapture
17 y
4,094 2 Messages Shown
Blog: Bible Study
Many of us can relate to a scenario like this: We say something about our beliefs, a "former Christian" comes along to "ask questions", we politely answer the first round, and the next thing we know we're being pelted with rage and mockery. What went wrong?
The answer is that dialogue or enlightenment was never their intention in the first place. The initial "questions" are bait, and we fall for it all the time. And if, being aware of this, we interrupt their plans by demanding to know their motives, they cry about being the victim of an inquisition. No matter what we say, how we say it, or how much evidence we have on our side, they will reject it all and launch into a looooooong and vitriolic rant against God, his Word, and his people.
And that was the goal all along. It's the rule, not the exception, and we therefore have every right to be suspicious of anyone who claims to just "have some questions". If the lost were truly open-minded and looking for truth, they wouldn't have such a bad reputation. They have only themselves to blame for having their motives questioned, and they cannot whine when we do so. Those who whine anyway should not be given the time of day or they'll just keep harassing us.
So unless you have endless hours to waste beating a dead horse, always demand that the person trying to talk to you really wants to talk, not simply vent. The first thing we should always do is explain why we need to ask, then stick to it. If the person objects to even being asked, walk away. The genuine seeker will not be hostile or dump reams of material from Christian-hating sites. If such people brush off the army of scholars who have thoroughly researched the Bible as being fools or idiots, there's no chance they'll listen to us either.
We are "salt" and "light" and our job is to make the truth known to the best of our ability. We must not let ourselves be sidetracked from this mission by people who are filled with hate and bitterness and are only looking for victims.
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Ready2Rapture
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- daughter of Billy Graham by White Tiger
17 y
2,048
Anne Graham Lotz is the second daughter of Billy Graham. She has stepped in her father's footsteps and formed a ministry that is based in Raleigh, N.C. She calls herself a Bible teacher. She is not an ordained minister.
Her father has called her "the best preacher in the family." She spoke with the Early Show's Jane Clayson on Sept. 13, 2001 to offer some comfort to the families of the terror victims.
Interviewed b Jane Clayson.
Jane Clayson: I've heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God less this happen? To that, you say?
Anne Graham Lotz: I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it.
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Commentary: Author Unknown
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.
Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare (she was
murdered, her body was found recently) complained she didn't want any
prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school... the
Bible that says "thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal", and "love your neighbor as yourself." And we said, OK.
Then, Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when
they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide) And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we said OK.
Then, someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our
children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no
faculty member in this school better touch a student when they
misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't
want to be sued (there's big difference between disciplining and
touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.) And we said, OK.
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they
want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, OK.
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and
they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms
they want, so they can have all the "safe sex" that they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, OK.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we
do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we
said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does
in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.
And then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude
women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty
of the female body. And we said, OK.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and
published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by
making them available on the internet. And we said OK, they're
entitled to their free speech.
And then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and
movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's
record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic
themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect,
and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why
they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.
I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." -Galatians 6:7
"Dear God, Why didn't you save the little girl killed in her
classroom? " Sincerely, Concerned Student...Could the reply be: "Dear
Concerned Student, I am not allowed in schools." Sincerely, God.
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why
the world's going to Hell (literally). Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what God says in the Bible.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.
Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan
who, by the way, also "believes" in God.
Funny how we are quick to judge, but not to be judged.
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they
spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the
Lord, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through
cyberspace, but the public discussion of God is suppressed in the
school and workplace.
Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an
invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think
of me than what God thinks of me.
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White Tiger
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- The here and now... by kerminator
17 y
1,778 Reply FCK TinyMCE
- loud and clear by White Tiger
17 y
2,042 Reply FCK TinyMCE
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CureZone