[niteowl1611]

I thought I would pass on a conversation I had a few days ago. A man at my job whom I asked about a year ago, if I could talk to him about Jesus and his need to accept Him so he wouldn't be eternally seperated from God. At that time he wanted nothing to do with me talking about Christ. I told him that I would pray that he would be open in the near future. Well anyway, a whole year passed until this past Monday when, he asked if we could talk about something. (We never really said more than hi in passing at the nursing home where we work.) I said sure and he preceeded to tell me a story that saddened me, made me angry, finally depressed me. You see,for this whole past year he had been watching me. Seeing how I handled patients who were difficult, their families etc,. he listened to me talk to other co-workers even asked some how I talked in the break room. Watched to see if I really did our assigned work like daily vital signs or did I make up a blood pressure and write it down. Things like that. With me being unaware. He told me it was based on my actions and behavior that he wanted to explore becoming a Christian. He went to a few churches, observed the strife, bickering, and jealousy among the members. Next were the pastors talking about other denominations and saying things like "if they didn't teach such and such in their doctrines and hold fast to this and that they weren't a true church". Finally he heard the pastor at the third church he attended say "if you don't use the KJV your not saved and all other translations are perverted and corrupt". All the while, he started listening to Christian radio and basically hearing varying qualifications for salvation on the same radio station, sometimes with the show proceeding! Than he ran into John MacArthur's book The Gospel According To Jesus. Where MacArthur defends Lordship salvation and denounces those who don't agree, i.e. Charles Ryrie. So my point in this is this: He came up to me and told me all he had experienced and said there is no way I can become a Christian. You all can't decide which bible is the inspired word of God. You can't decide who is and who really isn't saved based on numerous doctrinal disputes. I have come to the conclusion that you need to stop striving amoungest yourselves and that these so called "today's modern thinkers" need to humble themselves and stop patting each on the backs telling each other how smart they are and go to the streets instead of having these ego seminar conventions and workshops seeing who can come up with some theological word no one understands, let alone pronounce. He said that we need to come to common doctrinal ground where the lost don't use us as the reason not to be saved. He said the church should not expose the lost to all the disputes where it keeps them from wanting to leave the darkness to the Light. I can't say I blame him.

[peopleoftheway]

Well, you should give your friend the truth and nothing more, don't dress it up with ecumenism as he has apparently been awash with, tell your friend straight that we ARE in the last days that scripture speaks of in the Bible, That it will not be long before Christ returns, that most churches in the world today are self centered and lukewarm, bickering internally among themselves and let me tell you why, modern versions! How can a church assembly agree when their Bibles don't! While there are some Bible believing Churches that will have a pastor claim no one can get saved through any other version (Not the truth), most KJB Churches will be stablished and settled speaking the same thing with no division.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Now your posts here is very useful for any Born again Child of God. When anyone in the world finds out we are Christians, we WILL be watched and studied and they will judge Christianity on our actions and deeds which is why the apostle Paul tells us

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

I would suggest and I shall pray about it, that you ask for at least an Hour or so of your friends time and give him the gospel, the seed has been planted and sadly as you post comments on he has been deterred by Laodicean Christians, by self serving apostates. We will never come to one common ground doctrinally, this is the basis of ecumenism, and ecumenism is deadly!
Please explain to your friend that we, as Bible believing Children of God do not desire that his soul is lost for all eternity because of Highminded scholarly types, by weaker worldly Christians, and certainly not by apostate ministers

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Show your friend prayerfully a sample of the changes and ommisions in the Bible while giving him the Gospel and showing him that scripture testifys that we are in the last days before Christs returns.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Brother I could walk down any street in any town in any city and find an example of every kind explained here to Timothy

2 Peter 3:3-7 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But on the other hand my Friend you also have to remember that many will reject Christ after they have heard the Gospel.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Your friend must know that Christianity first and foremost is NOT about what a Church does or does not do, its ALL about Christs Finished work on the Cross, his exchange for our sins, without his death, without that blood shed there would be no remission for sins and without his glorious resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father we would have no "blessed hope".

Finally your Friend sounds just like my Dad, so I will include him in my prayers for I know this is a hard thing, but with prayer and the Lord, ALL things are possible.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

[Fredoheaven]

I symphatize with you,It's sad but its true, indeed the Gospel are read and known by men by what we actually do. Non-believing friends and loved ones are reading us and casts doubts when Jesus do not shine in us. Oftentimes, it takes the Word of God to been seen in you.

The battle really is not to the strong, nor the race is to the swift but to the true and the faithful, there victory is promised through grace.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Well, take heart then, it might be you who will turn the world upside down.


1Co*1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co*1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co*1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1Co*1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co*1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co*1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1Co*1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1Co*1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co*1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co*1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co*1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co*1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co*1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

[tonybones2112]

Niteowl, he's just trying to justify his own rebellion and unbelief in pointing out the "bad" and trying to make YOU feel guilty because of his OWN damnation. On the street nearly everyone would have a comeback to us, Bakker, Swaggart, Bakker, Swaggart. Well, Bakker-Swaggart didn;t die for us, Jesus Christ did. He's trying to lay his own stubbornness on millions of Christians who are TRYING to do THE BEST they can, and damning and condemning THEM because of a few bad apples.

We HAVE to strive, he might need to know as Christ's Body we are soldiers. He is like many I know who will not be saved, will not go and fellowship in a church, will not go door to door in freezing weather, because of the "hypocrites" in the church. The hypocrites will have their reward, their bad behavior is NOT going to excuse his own unbelief.

According to Ezekiel 2 when he stands before God, he will have NO EXCUSE, a prophet of God, you, said to him, thus saith the Lord.

His heart is hardened, I'll pray for him, and would love to talk to him.

His kind of guilt-trip salesman are one of my favorite breakfasts, because I'd eat him alive.

Grace and peace my friend

Tony

[chette777]

They the unsaved will always look for ways to justify not simply believing in Christ for Salvation. why because they know if they do God wants them to give up their sinful lives. and they don't want to. It's not about those things really it is about giving up on living in sin and they love their sin.

Just keep preaching the truth and one day they will stand before God to give an answer for what they did with the knowledge they have been given about Jesus Christ

[niteowl1611]

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I have, over prayer and reading these replies have, realized I knew the answer as to why he has hardened his heart. His excuses are just that, excuses. He has had the Light exposed to him through me, church, various radio ministries and most importantly, the Holy Ghost. His name is Raymond, prayer would be nice. Thanks again all. Keith

[Brother Tim]

prayer would be nice.

will do!