My Friend and I

[Spirit_Wolf8356]

My friend, I don't believe, is a born again Christian. She says she was raised in a Christian home. Lately, she's been telling me she's trying to find "her way" to Christ. Here's something from an e-mail she sent me.

"You asked me about Christians, Christianity, and God. I'll now express my views.

Christians- I don't hate them. They ARE, after all, my "people", but more importantly, they are my brothers and sisters of God. I've been raised with them. I freely admit that I dislike the more...overzealous, if you will, of the religion. Those that view themselves as superiors to all others of another race or religion are not really Christians, nor are those who denounce other religions, especially monotheistic ones, as "false". Why are the Jews wrong? They themselves are God's true people, descended from Abraham and Sarah, their founder being Jacob/Israel. The first whole half of the Bible tells their stories. I do not believe that God, the Shepard of Man, would abandon those of his original flock after being with them for thousands of years, once the Time of Reckoning comes. Why are the Muslims wrong? Allah means God in Arabic. The Muslims, too, are God's people. They are descended from Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian slave girl, their founder is Ishmail (spelling?)....."

At the time, she asked me that we not talk about it, in favor of keeping our friendship and not messing it up. I told her that I disagreed with what she said, but left it at that.

Tonight, she called me and we started talking some more on the topic. She was laughing about "fire and brimstone" type of people. We started talking and I tried my hardest not to screw up, praying to God that I wouldn't while we were talking.

Now I'm not sure what to do. I know that I should talk to her, but I don't want to mess up and have her stop talking to me.

Please, pray for me and her. I'm going to do some real praying myself about this tonight and hopefully do something about it in the morning if I feel like God is telling me to.

Also, she said that somewhere she'd read about Jesus being married while He was here. Married to one of the Mary's, I think she said. I know that isn't true, but I honestly can't think of any scripture to back me up. I'm going to do a little digging on my own tonight, but any help would be greatly appreciated. If you'd rather, you could e-mail me about it: OkamiYoukaiHime43@hotmail.com.

Thank you so much.

[true_noir_chloe]

I will be praying for you, Spirit_Wolf. Actually, you might find some help in the "Living Beyond Yourself" book. Beth Moore covers the topic of Abraham on Week 1, Day 4. It might help you out and give you some Scripture.

Also, is your friend open to actually reading the Bible if you gave her something to read? She doesn't sound like she believes Scripture to be the true Word of God.

You might also tell her there is a very good reason why Chrisitanity seems so elite compared to other religions. In other religions it's all about what you do to get to Heaven. Does she want to work her way to Heaven? Tell her no matter what she does, she will fall short of perfection (Romans 3). However, Christ is the ONLY Savior in any religion. He's the ONLY one who did it all at the cross. Every other religion expects you to help out in your salvation, to follow ten pillars, or follow ten commandments, or do this at a certain time of day, or do that wearing a certain type of clothing. All of the other religions expect you to follow the rules and then get a "possible" chance at Heaven; but Christ, CHRIST simply says believe in ME, believe in WHO I AM, that I am God, WHO came to save you from your sin, that I did it all at the cross and paid the penalty for sin that you are not able to do. And then, He rose from the dead to give us life. God is a God of life, not death.

Why are we so exclusive? Because we know there is only ONE God, and He is the One who came as a man to pay for our sin on a cross. To pay a debt we had no ability to pay.

We have the only religion with a Savior Who did it ALL. Is it too simple? Is her pride crushed that she can't do a thing to save herself? Tell her, well then I'm sorry. I shall rest in the bosom of my Savior and you keep on working and hoping that "possibly" one day you'll make it to Heaven. There are no promises in other religions that offer the security Christ offers in believing in Him and accepting his gracious gift of salvation.

I hope this helps a bit. Witnessing to friends take sometimes months, years, a lifetime, but do keep open to her if she continues to be open to you. I know the Lord can use you, my friend. ^_____^

I'm praying.

[holysoldier5000]

Those are some great questions. I wised I had your friend in my class; I love getting questions like those. First off the facts are that God never abandoned the people of Israel, they abandoned him. The whole of the Old Testament is how God was preparing the way for Jesus’ coming. Jesus is just as much the savior of the Jews as the Gentiles, but he came to the Jews first. Why? The Jews were not chosen because they were better humans then anyone else. The fact is they were just as human as everyone else, but God had a plan to use these people to reveal His will. Now the Jews were never supposed to keep God all to themselves. Take for instant the story of Ruth. She is a Moabite (not a child of Israel) but through her would come David, and from him would come the messiah, Jesus. How could this be? Ruth was not a Hebrew, but she embraced the Hebrew faith and God blessed her for that. Now the Jewish faith is not wrong, but what Jewish people believe today is wrong. Judaism is the practice of keeping the Old Testament Laws, which have their purpose. If you read the book of Romans you will see that the Law was never intended to save mankind but to show him his need for a savior. And have you ever noticed the striking similarities between the Old Testament sacrifices and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God was so holy that only a sanctified high priest could enter into his presence, and how did the priest become sanctified, with blood. Something had to pay the penalty of sin. What is the penalty of sin? Romans 6:23 says the penalty of sin is death. Now Jesus was not a replacement for the Old Testament sacrifices because in themselves dead animals are useless, but these dead animals were a picture God gave the people to help them understand the purpose of the coming savior. From the very first sacrifice in the guardian of Eden in Genesis 3 when God clothed Adam and Eve in animal skins, God was painting a picture of what Jesus had to do. And if you read the rest of Genesis 3 you will see that God promises to Adam that their will be a coming savior who will save them, “between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.â€

[holysoldier5000]

But back on the topic of Truth. Particularly Jesus as the Truth. In coming to Jesus Christ, you found the truth behind all things, you found him who is in himself the truth, the key to life, the secret of the universe, final reality! You find the truth used in that sense in this very letter. In Ephesians 4:20,
“You did not so learn Christ! [i.e., in uncleanness and licentiousness, etc.] -- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. “(Ephesians 4:20-21)
He is the truth, he is reality, he is the key to life. "In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," (Colossians 2:3)."Well," someone says, "how do you know that? How do you know you are not performing an act of blind faith without any supporting evidence at all? You say you believe in Jesus, but you have accepted him as the authority without any evidence to support it. That's blind faith." But that is not what a Christian does. Christian faith is not blind faith. When we believe Christ is the truth, we believe it because he demonstrated he was the truth. We need to put it on that basis.
How did he demonstrate that he was the truth? First, by what he said. Read the things he said. Incomparable things! He gave the clearest insights into what human life was about ever given in the hearing of men. Even his enemies say so. No one ever saw so clearly as he, no one ever probed so deeply or put his finger so precisely upon the elements which make up human life and thinking. In what he said you can see he spoke the truth. "No one ever spake like this man," (John 7:46)
But not only that, he demonstrated the truth by what he did. This New Testament record is an amazing account of mighty deeds and historic events. Miracles? Yes, there are evidences of the intrusion of the spiritual kingdom -- that invisible realm of reality -- into the visible realm. He capped it all, of course, by showing that he had solved the one problem which is insoluble to every other man -- the problem of death. He rose from the dead! Who else has ever done anything like that? What other philosopher, what other thinker, what other man who has ever challenged men has ever done anything like that -- solved that basic problem of life? That is why I know Jesus Christ is the truth, because he solved the problem of death.
This, by the way, is why the enemies of the Scriptures fight so fiercely to destroy the historicity of these events, if they can. They want us to think it does not matter whether these things were historically true. Of course they are historically true, and of course it greatly matters, for these events demonstrate that Jesus was the truth.
But it is not only by what he said and what he did, but further, by what he is. Bring this into the present. What has he been to you? What has he been to others? Look back at your own Christian life and its beginnings. Did he deliver you? Has he set you free? Has he broken any chains in your life? Has he been your friend? Has he brought you back into balance and harmony? It has been pointed out that through the centuries men have been calling on others for help. You may lack courage and call on a great contemporary hero to help you, but nothing happens. You may lack wisdom and call on one of the great philosophers of the day. Or, lacking eloquence, you may cry, "Shakespeare, help me!" But no help comes. Yet for twenty centuries men and women in desperate plight have been calling our, "Lord Jesus Christ, help me" -- and help is given! Deliverance comes! That is how we know he is the truth.
Remember that all conflicting systems and philosophies must be tested at all points, not just at one. Many philosophies can do something. Ah, yes, many systems which basically are wrong still can help in a limited area. They can help somewhere, they can accomplish some good. But, my Christian friends, we must learn that this is never the mark of truth. Because something does some good is no mark of truth. Truth is a complete entity. Truth is reality, the way things really are. Therefore it is the explanation of all things. You know you have found the truth when you find something which is wide enough and deep enough and high enough to encompass all things. That is what Jesus Christ does.
Further, ultimate reality never changes. Here is another mark. Truth never needs updating, never needs to be modernized. If something was true ten thousand years ago, it is still true today. If it is true today, it was true a hundred thousand years ago. Truth does not need updating.
I delight in the story of the man to came to his old friend, a music teacher, and said to him in that flippant way we moderns use, "What's the good news today?" The old man never said a word. He walked across the room, picked up a hammer and struck a tuning fork. As the note sounded out through the room, he said, "That is 'A.' It is 'A' today, it was 'A' five thousand years ago, and it will be 'A' ten thousand years from now. The soprano upstairs sings off-key, the tenor across the hall flats his high notes, and the piano downstairs is out of tune." He struck the note again, and said, "That is 'A,' my friend, and that's the good news for today!" That is what Jesus Christ is -- unchanging. He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever," (Hebrews 13:8). That is how you know you have truth. Remember that when you feel defeated, when you are under attack, when doubts come flooding into your mind. Remember that you have girded up your loins with truth; you have found him who is the solid rock:
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

God Bless
HS5000

[Spirit_Wolf8356]

Thank you both, very much. ^_^

I've talked with my friend a little more today, and she's all for keeping an open line of communication about this between us, thank God!

[holysoldier5000]

I know ministering to people, particullarly athesit, is hard to do, but there are a lots of tips and tricks for getting through to these people. I would suggest that you
read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. It is a book spacifly geared to helping people find God through a rational process. Lewis makes the argeument the Christianity can be the only logical right religion, and he dose not come to the conlusion by approching the matter from a Christian's stand point but fron the stand point of a logical realistic observer. I think that book will help you out a lot & would really help
out your friend. Lewis takles the issue of Christianity from the oppenion that your friend has.

Well let me know how it goes. & I am still praying that your friend will come to God and that you will be a positive influance in his or her life.

God Bless
HS5000

[agasfas]

Why are the Muslims wrong? Allah means God in Arabic. The Muslims, too, are God's people.

Heck, God is referred to by many names in the Holy Bible: God, Lord, Father, Yahawah (sp?) etc.

My response would have been clos to this:

Take two people with the same name. Sure both their names may be Bill (made up), but that doesn't make them the same person. Both have different characteristics and beliefs and heck, look different. The same is the same with the christian God and the muslim God. Same name, but they are quite different qualities. If someone read both the Koran and the Holy bible, that's quite evidient.

She was laughing about "fire and brimstone" type of people.

To be honest, I don't really like the total fire and brimstone type of people either, they usually tend to be the biggest hypocrites. They usually scare more people away having them believe God is not understanding or forgiving. My personal belief is to teach the truth, compasion and the forgiveness of God. But I don't think we should be afraid to speak the truth about the consequence of sin is death and that people who reget the Lord will have to goto hell. Some churches (like the ones on tv) never mention hell. I think that's a mistake. But whatever...

I'm not sure where your friend heard that Jesus was married, but I think that may be from the Mormon or LatterDay Saints belief. I may be wrong...

Anyways, I don't think debate after debate will accomplish anything in this situation. I used to have this friend that would debate this kind of stuff and all that came of it were arguments. Keep praying for her and continue to be an example of a loving sister and believer in Christ. I will also keep her in my prayers.

[Rogie]

I don't have anything to add to this, other than to say that I'll pray that God will lead you in witnessing to her.

[termyt]

To be honest, I don't really like the total fire and brimstone type of people either, they usually tend to be the biggest hypocrites. They usually scare more people away having them believe God is not understanding or forgiving.

Fire and brimstone has its place, but it is a more effective/useful tool for those who are already believers than for those who are not. Occasionally, when we get to hung up on God's forgiveness and grace, we may forget that He also has expectations for us. The apostle Paul pulled out some pretty fiery sermons himself about the fate that awaits those who do not turn from their wicked ways.

Jesus Christ is the only route to the Father. That makes Christianity the superior religion. That does not, however, make Christians superior people. We are all sinners and we all need help. Jewish law only leads to destruction because no one can faithfully keep it. Mohammad can't save anyone, either. Only Jesus.

I don't think any of that necessarily helps you, though, Spirit Wolf. You have a tightrope to walk, here. You do not want to drive your friend away, but you must speak the truth as well. Keeping silent will certainly not help your friend, either. I understand the problem all to well. I'm not very good at walking this rope, either. I will keep you in my prayers and pray God grants us both the balance we need to walk this tightrope.

[Doubleshadow]

Man, I'll pray for you both Spirit_Wolf. I have friends I'm afraid I won't see in Heaven too.