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Share one or two ways you or someone you know has lovingly responded to an attack on your/their Christian faith.
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My friend Debbie. She volunteered at church. I hadn’t seen her cause of Covid. Then I saw her at church volunteering. Then two months went by,,, I didn’t see her or her husband. I saw her at Costco Warehouse. We hugged each other. I said where have you been. She said someone told her that she was too old to volunteer. I said what. I am 60 years old. LOl! Older than you. I told her. Girl, you only heard that from one person. It is not true. One person is not the church, it is one person’s opinion. She agreed. But Debbie said that they are established at this new church. Misunderstandings happen all the time in church. Good listening can detour bad situations back to common sense. May not of swaded Debbie back to our church, but we are still sisters in Christ.
I remember when I got baptized for a second time at Mim’s Baptist church. I walked into the boiling hot water. I watched as the pastor slowly started walking in the water as he said you want to get out Susan so we can cool this down. I said no I am in here now. So Pastor Jean continued to baptize me. Then I said to him now my sins are gone, and he laughed. We got out and he had them cool it down before anyone else was baptized that day. LOL! What a memory. -
My husband was questioned on how he could believe God created the universe. He calmly explained his position and why he believed it was correct. He stayed calm and listened to the other person but stated his stance firmly.
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I have often dealt with science colleagues at various levels who sometimes viciously attack my views (sometimes simply their perceptions of my views). I’ve found it’s always more effective to respond calmly.
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One student came up to me and said that he was being discriminated since his application for a student council leader was rejected. The final round of interview with the school leadership did ask the candidate of how they lead a life committed to Christ and how they can be an example for the other students. He believed he failed this last stage because he was not a Christian. The school was criticized heavily but over time and several discussions, he finally understood the significance and able to accept the decision.
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My husband worked in the coal mines for a few years. An underground coal mine is a dark place, literally and figuratively. He is an elder in our church, and even when we were in our early twenties, I have always seen him as wise beyond his years. Evangelism is probably his number one spiritual gift. Often underground he would share the Gospel to the men around him. Often times they would not want to hear it and were rarely shy in saying so. Of course he would still do it, but in different ways. Instead of giving mini-sermons on their truck drive to their work site, he would have one-on-one discussions, most of it brought up by the men themselves. They saw my husband as someone to respect due to his integrity and faith, so they would often seek answers from him. He never responded in a frustrated way through all of this. My husband trusted in the Lord to bring him the opportunities as the Lord saw fit. He prayed for them. They came.
