Talking to Believers about witnessing and not offending Others

This was a conversation I had with other christians on yahoo news comments about witnessing properly to non believers.

Talking to Believers about witnessing and not offending them:

Me:

Lots of people claim to Love Christ but activily push down others rights to eat live marry even have a job. A true Christian holds no hate, they love and forgive, they help others. They dont worship money and would be willing to give up ANYTHING for Christ. Not all who say Lord Lord are Christains. Look at their fruit look at the works they do. Does it scream i hate you or does it scream i love everyone.

Him:

I'm not voting for or against this, but you seem to be confusing hating someone with believing that their lifestyle is harmful and should not be supported. Those are two different things.

Me:

Take a good look at some of what so call other Christians do. They refuse to help illegal children. They worship money. They got Uganda to pass a horrible law that got lots of innocent people killed. They now say they have a right to refuse service to certain groups because it objects to their religion. Now go and read all of the New testament and show me where Christ refused to feed or heal someone or even to visit their house just because others thought they were too sinful. I have been willing to give it all up for Christ sometimes i took it back but I gave it back up. Christians sin yes but to have hate in ones heart and turn away someone because you dont like their skin color or the country they came from or their sexual orientation or even their polical party makes you out to be a liar if you claim to love Christ.

Him:

I agree with nearly everything you're saying. The only exception might be service.

I like how you drew attention to Jesus. He absolutely did not discriminate against people. But he also didn't participate in anything ungodly or improper. So, Christians love all people and treat them as neighbors, but we have to be careful that we're not taking an active role in encouraging badness.

ME:

Really letting people and let live and let live is encourabing badenss? Allowing them to buy groceries and work is wrong?I encourge to to read all of matthew 11. Notice what was said about Christ and John the Baptist and the city of Sodom.

On the day of Judgement who do you think Christ will be harder on The gays and lesbians you hate or The christians who claim to know Christ but proved themselves false with their hate of them.

Him:

No, Sheryl C. You and I agree about providing service to people. What I'm talking about is participating in events, like homosexual weddings or conferences.

Me:

I learned the hard way that the things you hate in others,, the people you hate, are the very monsters deep in your own soul. A true Christian sees that truth falls on their knees asks forgiveness for who hurt you, asks God to forgive you for hating them, Asks God to take away that hate and then asks God to help you forgive yourself for what HE SHOWED YOU IN YOUR OWN SOUL.

Him:

I don't understand how your last comment is relevant, but I do think there's truth in it

Me:

You don't get it Aaron even Christ did things that back then would have been considered participating in things of sinners. Who did Christ get angry at in the New testament? Was it the tax collectors? Was it the adulterers even the prostitutes? Or was it the leaders of HIS day and those who took advantage of others by selling at Gods Temple.By refusing to bake a cake or attend those conferences stuff that you would u think is wrong you are losing a incredible opportunity to witness to them.

Him:

Jesus NEVER participated in anything like that. What you're talking about is becoming a part of the world to draw them in. That's unchristian. You're mixing that in with what Jesus did do, which is showing human kindness to everyone. But notice what the tax collectors and prostitutes had to do had to do when they wanted to please Jesus:

"But Zac·chaeʹus stood up and said to the Lord: “Look! The half of my belongings, Lord, I am giving to the poor, and whatever I extorted from anyone, I am restoring four times over.” - Luke 19:8

They had to stop and turn around. The Christian congregation draws people in by adhering to divine standards, not by lowering our standards.

ME:

What they HAD to do? No what they wanted to do because they Loved Christ and IF Christ had not gone to them they would not have ever known HIM. The kind of Christian i am is the one who will bake that cake for those lesbians while witnessing and the kind that will go feed illegal immigrants and the kind that will help anyone and go anywhere if it means spreading the gospel. But I am also the type that will stand up to the self righteous bigots who claim to be defending their way of life while not hiring someone because they are gay or black. Most when they come to Christ really come to Him and know Him are delivered from one thing but the rest is a cross we all have to carry that cross is our fight against our own sins and shortcomings. I am not going to claim i dont slip into wanting to hate others because i was beaten and abused by people but i have learned that abuse leaves a mark on you and it is that left over stain on your soul that you hate and that if things had been different i might be just like those who hurt me.Could you honestly be able to withstand Christ shoving a mirror of your soul at you and not crumble to your knees and cry out wretched soul that i am who will deliever me from this body of death.Well I am the least of His Children and had to see that mirror time and time again to move on and forward and keep on trying to fight myself and do what is right by Gods Standards. While you are turning your nose up people like me are reaching those people you reject.

Your the one that things mixed up Aaron people give up things out of The love they feel for Christ. None of them had to do any of it Jesus did not ask them. He never pointed out anyones sin HE simply said go and sin no more. Your the ones making it hard for them.

The few times he did was to point out how false their desire to be with Him was like with the rich man when He told him to go sell everything he owned and give it to the poor and follow HIM

Him:

I don't reject anyone. I don't care if you're a thief, murderer, prostitute, fornicator - I was a fornicator too. It doesn't matter whether the fornication is heterosexual or homosexual. It's all the same. I have and do welcome anyone and treat everyone as a neighbor.

What I'm not going to do is take part in someone's sin. Jesus prayed that his disciples would be able to do that be in the world, while remaining no part of it. That means that they wouldn't be doing condemned in God's word. So, I can reach out to strippers. But I'm not going into a topless club to do it. That's what Jesus did. He went to people's homes and wherever else they were, but he got away from them when they were wanting to do improper things. (John 6:15)

Jehovah God himself says: "Therefore, get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’”; “‘and I will take you in.’" (2 Corinthians 6:17) What do you think that means?

ME:

In order to see what scripture means we have to look at the context it was written in. Paul is talking about it being unwise to marry non believers. IT would be the same thing as being a temple prostitute but there is nothing wrong with going to the temple the prostitutes are at and witnessing. But for some one like you who has a problem with being a fornicator it would be a sin because that is a weakness for you it would be a tempation to great for you. So the strong need to bear the weak and the weak needs to not judge the strong see the whole context of both these passages and you will see what i mean:Now if some one was a lesbian and is now a believer and would be tempted to sin by baking a cake she can do so with out offending the unbeliever by simply saying i am too busy which would not be a lie. It is our guilt of something that makes it a sin. Now if i were to drag you to a strip joint to witness then i would be sinning because that is your weakness.

2 Corinthians 6

The Temple of the Living God

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial?[b] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

17 Therefore go out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

18 and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”

1 Corinthians 10

Do All to the Glory of God

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

You can live in the world with out being part of it. You can witness any where it is not your weakness without being part of that activity. You can tell others about God without offending them. If you look at the whole chapter you will see that Paul talks about the same principle as he does in 1 Corinthians 10 Go study how Jesus, the Disciples and Paul witnessed and consider the circumtances in each and keep in mind pauls words

1 Corinthians 9

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

For everyone remember these things: