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10-06-2010, 02:53 PM
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Renewed
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 5,432
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Where to begin ?
Here is the situation. Woman lives a "Christian" life (not sure what her denomination was but it was not Apostolic). Suffers through an abusive marriage. Comes out of it a non-believer because "all the days he was beating me and I asked God to make it stop, it never stopped, no God would allow this to happen". Her point of view at the moment is the Bible is just a book and God is not real.
She has walked out of church at the end of service the few times she has accepted my invitation with tears in her eyes, yet still no break through. She still holds to her belief . "God is no different from Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, he was created by man to make himself feel good about something, to have something to believe in" .
My question. Where do I start ? How do I approach this conversation ?
__________________
You can't reach the world with your talents. People are sick and tired of religious talents. People need a Holy Ghost annointed church with real fruits to reach out and touch their lives. ~ Pastor Burrell Crabtree
In fact I think that the insinuation of "hateful" Pentecostals is coming mostly from the fertile imaginations of bitter, backslidden ex Apostolics who are constantly trying to find a way to justify their actions. ~ strait shooter
www.scottysweb.com
www.chrisscottonline.com
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10-06-2010, 03:01 PM
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Registered Member
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,889
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Re: Where to begin ?
Fasting prayer and a gentle home bible study. Just a look at the Word to understand it and decide later if it is "real" or not.At least she has come to church.
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10-06-2010, 03:08 PM
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Registered Member
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 5,408
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Re: Where to begin ?
As someone who has lived through something similar, I will tell you that from my perspective, words are meaningless. Trying to persuade her about God is not going to do the job, the only way that she will ever believe in God or trust anything about Him, is if she see Him through you and your actions. Be Christ (like) and she will see Him.
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10-06-2010, 03:12 PM
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Forever Loved Admin
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 26,537
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Re: Where to begin ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dizzyde
As someone who has lived through something similar, I will tell you that from my perspective, words are meaningless. Trying to persuade her about God is not going to do the job, the only way that she will ever believe in God or trust anything about Him, is if she see Him through you and your actions. Be Christ (like) and she will see Him.
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__________________
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 KJV
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10-06-2010, 03:24 PM
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My Family!
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Collierville, TN
Posts: 31,786
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Re: Where to begin ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dizzyde
As someone who has lived through something similar, I will tell you that from my perspective, words are meaningless. Trying to persuade her about God is not going to do the job, the only way that she will ever believe in God or trust anything about Him, is if she see Him through you and your actions. Be Christ (like) and she will see Him.
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Amen!
__________________
Master of Science in Applied Disgruntled Religious Theorist Wrangling
PhD in Petulant Tantrum Quelling
Dean of the School of Hard Knocks
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10-06-2010, 03:28 PM
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Registered Member
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,754
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Re: Where to begin ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty
Here is the situation. Woman lives a "Christian" life (not sure what her denomination was but it was not Apostolic). Suffers through an abusive marriage. Comes out of it a non-believer because "all the days he was beating me and I asked God to make it stop, it never stopped, no God would allow this to happen". Her point of view at the moment is the Bible is just a book and God is not real.
She has walked out of church at the end of service the few times she has accepted my invitation with tears in her eyes, yet still no break through. She still holds to her belief . "God is no different from Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, he was created by man to make himself feel good about something, to have something to believe in" .
My question. Where do I start ? How do I approach this conversation ?
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Yeah, nothing you say will probably make a difference. If she doesn't believe in God, nothing you say about Him will hold much weight. By all means try, if you so desire, just do it in a loving way. Good luck.
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10-06-2010, 03:47 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 31,124
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Re: Where to begin ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty
Here is the situation. Woman lives a "Christian" life (not sure what her denomination was but it was not Apostolic). Suffers through an abusive marriage. Comes out of it a non-believer because "all the days he was beating me and I asked God to make it stop, it never stopped, no God would allow this to happen". Her point of view at the moment is the Bible is just a book and God is not real.
She has walked out of church at the end of service the few times she has accepted my invitation with tears in her eyes, yet still no break through. She still holds to her belief . "God is no different from Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, he was created by man to make himself feel good about something, to have something to believe in" .
My question. Where do I start ? How do I approach this conversation ?
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Just be her friend and pray for her. Don't try to force or convince her of anything. God himself will reveal himself when it is time.
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10-06-2010, 08:01 PM
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mary
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Midwest
Posts: 3,002
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Re: Where to begin ?
Be real and be kind, and pray for her.
What finally helped me was understanding that God gave us free will... and because He gave us free will, He won't stop a person from doing something bad anymore than He will force us to be saved. There are times He intervenes, but He doesn't intervene nearly as often as the testimonies lead people to think. Yet, all things work together for good... not all things ARE good or He will make only good things happen, but good can be derived even from the most horrible situations if we allow Him to bring good from them.
But before she can come to that point, she's going to have to realize some other things... perhaps that it wouldn't have been wrong of her to divorce an abusive husband, or that she could have left and didn't... whatever it is that only she and God know that might bring her to a point of understanding. If someone had told me that it was man's choice, not God's, to hurt me, I would have resisted because I did ask Him to make it stop, and good religious people told me that God had to stop it, that I couldn't because if I tried I'd be stepping out of His will.
It takes time for deep wounds to heal. Sometimes the best balm is not telling someone about Jesus, but letting Him shine through our lives.
__________________
What we make of the Bible will never be as great a thing as what the Bible will - if we let it - make of us.~Rich Mullins
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.~Galileo Galilei
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10-06-2010, 09:15 PM
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Resident PeaceMaker
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Jackson,AL.
Posts: 16,548
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Re: Where to begin ?
My advice would be to be a friend to this woman,show concern don't be pushy,pray for her.
__________________
People who are always looking for fault,can find it easily all they have to do,is look into their mirror.
There they can find plenty of fault.
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10-06-2010, 11:00 PM
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Go Dodgers!
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 45,787
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Re: Where to begin ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty
Here is the situation. Woman lives a "Christian" life (not sure what her denomination was but it was not Apostolic). Suffers through an abusive marriage. Comes out of it a non-believer because "all the days he was beating me and I asked God to make it stop, it never stopped, no God would allow this to happen". Her point of view at the moment is the Bible is just a book and God is not real.
She has walked out of church at the end of service the few times she has accepted my invitation with tears in her eyes, yet still no break through. She still holds to her belief . "God is no different from Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, he was created by man to make himself feel good about something, to have something to believe in" .
My question. Where do I start ? How do I approach this conversation ?
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I don't know what you can say...perhaps for now nothing directly towards her situation. You can show her love and pray for her. Consider that too she may not actually not believe in God anymore...she is just majorily mad at God
__________________
Let it be understood that Apostolic Friends Forum is an Apostolic Forum.
Apostolic is defined on AFF as:
- There is One God. This one God reveals Himself distinctly as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
- The Son is God himself in a human form or "God manifested in the flesh" (1Tim 3:16)
- Every sinner must repent of their sins.
- That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
- That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
- The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.
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