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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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I have watched friends lovingly share their faith with others during times of crisis. First, they come alongside the person who is struggling to understand what is troubling them. Then, they use this to show God’s love for them.
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There have been times when older individuals questioned following where Jesus has been leading. We often want to show respect to our elders, and I felt that at that moment, God gave me the grace to respond in love yet confidence in the calling the Lord had placed on my life. It not only encourages us to be confident in Christ, but we can also respond to others in love and show them that God loves them.
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When a child who had been brought up in the Christian faith unapologetically expressed an orientation change for future relationships, the mother responded with loving support and earnest prayer rather than angry rejection.
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When under attack, we first have to pray for discernment immediately. It is easy to get riled up and become defensive, but instead, if we ask God to give us a spirit of understanding through His Holy Spirit and give us words that are compelling and be able to understand WHY the person is attacking us, our faith and our beliefs we will get much further faster. I have heard it said (and believe it to be true) that “hurt people – hurt people.”
Let the person verbalize all of their grievances while asking God to give us an opening of understanding, listening for clues as to what has turned them off from Christians. They may be more upset with the actions of people who call themselves Christians than Jesus Christ himself. We are ahead if we can turn a coarse discourse into a more civil exchange. Pray fervently not to become defensive but to speak with authority as to what God’s word says. Being able to say, “this isn’t what I say; it is what the Bible says,” gives our words a different level of authority. We also need to say, “this is what I have experienced.” It is not logical for anyone to argue what each of us has experienced personally.
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There is a Christian man who wanted to read Christian books he wrote in public libraries across the nation. He has been under attack by some residents, and some librarians have been succumbing to the attacks of the residents by trying to find reasons to prevent him from doing so. He has responded in a loving manner, by stating he is trying to share love and character development with the children, and that is his only agenda. He is not trying to challenge the beliefs of anyone.
