How Should a Christian Witness To Pagans and Athiests?

[debbym]

Quote:

Being your true self is very important in your personal witness. It is so sad to see people "faking it" - coming to church or work saying how wonderful their lives are and how blessed they are when you know their personal lives are in shambles and that they are barely under control. My experience is that Christians tend to mask their real lives more than pagans and atheists; and "faking it" is a poor witness.

i can be a believer, and be a witness even if i am struggling with a sense of control over my life. If i were a director of community services, and my spouse commits adultery, or my child is a victim of crime, i am no less a Christian, or a witnessing Christian when my life reels out of control.

life happens with all of it's glorious pain, trauma, drama, triumph, successes, and stacks of the ordinary that speak constantly of God's tender care in the presence of everything.

i think it's ok to come to church and be all smiles and enjoy a sense of normalcy and be encouraged and strengthened by the structure and order of Church family relationships. It may be a gasp of air before returning to the undoness of the ride on the horns of the bull.

Job was an amazing witness when all was awry. It was ok to choose who and when and where to let down and express the pain.

as Christians we can often better testify to the faithfulness of God when life is torn and we are disheveled.

we live in our relationships. and we have many relationships all happening at the same time. and it is so valuable to have a relationship with a loving merciful wise God who understands, and shares with us what we need to see us through all the challenges in all those other relationships, even the relationships in our church family, and our hopeful relationships to pagans and atheists.

[Naomi]

The greatest sermons ever preached are lived, not spoken. I believe this could also apply to witnessing.

[phkrause]

Quote:

Being your true self is very important in your personal witness. It is so sad to see people "faking it" - coming to church or work saying how wonderful their lives are and how blessed they are when you know their personal lives are in shambles and that they are barely under control. My experience is that Christians tend to mask their real lives more than pagans and atheists; and "faking it" is a poor witness.

i can be a believer, and be a witness even if i am struggling with a sense of control over my life. If i were a director of community services, and my spouse commits adultery, or my child is a victim of crime, i am no less a Christian, or a witnessing Christian when my life reels out of control.

life happens with all of it's glorious pain, trauma, drama, triumph, successes, and stacks of the ordinary that speak constantly of God's tender care in the presence of everything.

i think it's ok to come to church and be all smiles and enjoy a sense of normalcy and be encouraged and strengthened by the structure and order of Church family relationships. It may be a gasp of air before returning to the undoness of the ride on the horns of the bull.

Job was an amazing witness when all was awry. It was ok to choose who and when and where to let down and express the pain.

as Christians we can often better testify to the faithfulness of God when life is torn and we are disheveled.

we live in our relationships. and we have many relationships all happening at the same time. and it is so valuable to have a relationship with a loving merciful wise God who understands, and shares with us what we need to see us through all the challenges in all those other relationships, even the relationships in our church family, and our hopeful relationships to pagans and atheists.

Excellent post debbym, excellent post