All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
How can you witness to people who don't have a foundation for their beliefs?
My dad,mom and Uncle Hubert are similar in this.
Dad and Hubert,if you tell them something is in the Bible they don't agree with they'll just say the Bible has been corrupted by man. And they'll refuse to listen to anything you say,they'll just argue. Thing is they're not atheists. They believe that God exists,they believe Jesus exists. And they both believe only 144,000 are going to Heaven. I'm confused though because how can they trust their misinterpretation of the Bible on the 144,000 if they think the Bible has been corrupted in the first place?
Mom has said the Bible is God's Word yet it's manmade. She said it's manmade because "God didn't come down and write it." She doesn't understand the Holy Spirit inspired them to write what we now have as the Bible.
A long time ago mom heard on t.v. about Jesus being God. She was upset. I told her "It's in the Bible". She said "The Bible's wrong than." I told her it's in the JW Bible [thankfully they didn't mess up Heb. chapter 1. Even though that Bible has been modified they somehow missed that chapter]. She said that's wrong,too.
So,even if I tell her it's in the JW Bible she won't believe me. I'm confused though because one time she said it's God's Word yet when it comes to something she doesn't believe in [the Deity of Christ]. Instead of atleast attempting to "prove" with the Bible that Jesus isn't God she just said that the Bible is wrong with nothing to back her up.
And if she hears someone say Jesus is God she's very likely to get very arguative.
How do you explain something to someone when she refuses to listen and will only argue and get upset? Also,she has no foundation. She doesn't even have the JW's as a foundation because she denied their Bible translation. No matter what "foundation" I use, whether it's a regular Bible or the JW Bible,she'll just say the Bible is wrong.
Also,how can I even attempt to say anything to mom? If I tell her "Jesus died for your sins" she'll think I'm telling her Michael the Archangel died for her sins. Whenever she hears someone talk about Jesus she thinks of Michael the Archangel.
I know I've asked about some of these problems before but I don't think I've asked about all of them. I have to group them together so I don't get confused.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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Never yell back. Jesus doesn't need defending. Defend Him in your meekness & humility.
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Permalink Reply by feet breath on
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I don't. The problem of what I do though is withdraw/close off when people yell.
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In a good or bad way?
That's what I try to do when she hears someone on t.v. [well once it was on the radio] say Jesus is God. I try to be silent while she complains and yells.
She gives me so many "reasons" why Jesus "can't" be God. And I know there's no point in attempting to answer her while she's yelling because she won't listen. It'll just upset her even more. She closes herself off from that and will only listen if she is told what she wants to hear,that Christ is Michael.
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In a great way. When they start yelling & you don't play, all they can hear is themselves. I found the article I wanted to share earlier:
Two Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on my door & initiated conversation. I had a lot to do, so I prepared to send them on their way. But as they began their spiel, I decided to take a few minutes & engage them. I gently told them that I found their teachings about Jesus offensive because they taught that Jesus was the same person as Michael, the archangel. I told them that I believe He is much more than one among many angels; that I believe He is God. My visitors replied, "No, Jesus/Michael is the only archangel. There are no other archangels." So I asked them to open their Bibles to Daniel 10:13, which reads, "But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me" (NIV). I pointed out that this passage is clear: Michael is only "one of" the chief princes (or archangels).
This caught them off guard. They told me they'd never heard or read this before. Now that I had their attention, I said, "There's no way you can look me in the eyes & tell me that you sat down one day seeking to find God, read the Bible, & came to the conclusion that Jesus is the same person as Michael the archangel. No one could come to that conclusion. You only believe it because that's what you were told, & I don't want to stand here & spoon-feed you something else." With that, I challenged them to read the Bible for themselves, rather than simply accept what they've been told about it. They went away that day & said they would consider doing that.
--Francis Chan
--Forgotten God
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Wow! Thanks for sharing,Tammy. :)
Praying for them.
By the way is chief prince just a different word for archangel?
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Permalink Reply by Ananda Welikala on
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Proverbs 15King James Version (KJV)
1. A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on
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Now, as to the second part of what you mentioned, that your mom says "Jesus and Satan are brothers": there is a simple way to answer that. Just say I" don't see that in the Bible. Where do you get that idea from?" And let them talk. You don't have to try to prove that Scripture says Jesus is the everlasting God. Scripture says it. But there is nowhere it says Jesus is a brother to a one that he created.
I do know where they got that notion from and I can tell you it has nothing to do with the Bible. I do know that you cannot get to that notion from reading the Bible. If you can get them to try and prove their point from the Bible, not from someone else's writings, then you have them reading the Bible, which is never bad.
When you are having these conversations, just pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to them and for Jesus to be glorified. Don't let yourself be drawn into being angry.
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Thank you Shanthi. :) God bless.
Tammy,that is a good video. Thank you for sharing.
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I also remember him speaking about them believing Jesus & Michael were the same person & he showed them Scripturally where their beliefs were wrong. They seemed perplexed & said I've never seen that before. I was trying to find that video & share it or thought it could have been in one of his awesome books but can't find it at the moment.
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