What can I do for a non-believer friend?

Question

I'm a teen girl who has a very, very close friend who doesn't exactly believe in God. He is so important to me, and I care about him so much. I wish that he could know God, and be able to pray, and rely on him. He admits that he isn't going to heaven, and tells me he wishes it wouldn't bother me, because it really doesn't bother him. He also says that he believes religion is about individual spiratuality, but I really don't understand his reasoning. The circumstances under which we met are rare, and I feel that God has brought him into my life for a reason, so I can teach him, and make him believe. I feel that if I don't succeed, I'll let down my friend, myself, and most importantly, God. I love my friend so much, and I'd do anything, so that he could know God. Thank You.

Thanks everyone so much for the answers. In a way I feel selfish. I feel that maybe I want to convert him so bad, because if he changes he beliefs, we can be something more than friends. We have so much in common it scares me, and maybe the only thing keeping us apart is beliefs. (we live quite a ways apart, and don't often talk face to face.)

Answer 1

well you can do what my friends did


either lock them in a room and try to convert him till 4am. This ends up with him never talking to you again.

or

leave him be. in which you'll still be friends, but just have different views.

Answer 2

YOU LEAVE HIM BE! All the questions posted here on a daily basis asking why people loathe Christianity can be answered in this girl's post.

You insist that your friend believe as you do, and think that it's your "duty" to change his mind, and you won't accept anything less than his total and complete devotion to your ideology.

You think your God gives a whip about what you do? He's supposedly all powerful, so if He wants your friend to believe, then He can do it Himself, right? And how arrogant is it of you to assume that YOU are suddenly a messenger of God sent to harass your friend?

What will happen is this: if he's weak willed he'll tell you what you want to hear and never truly believe anyway. If he has the ability to use his own free will and still doesn't believe, then you will lose him as a friend because he'll get as sick of your preaching as all non-Christians are.

If he's that important to you, then you'll let him make his own choices about his beliefs, even if they don't coincide with yours.

Answer 3

Your sincerity is humbling and I wish more adults acted with your kind of love for one another.

The biggest thing you can do for your friend is pray for him. Ask God to lay upon your friends heart the truth of God's Word.

Also, just do what you are doing and be a great friend. Live Christ's example and show love and understanding towards your friend and be the one who is there for him when others aren't.

He'll soon learn, there is something different about you.

Not everyone will come to Christ and be saved but you already have the heart and sincerity to win souls for God. Keep up the great attitude!

Answer 4

Classytranslator has excellent advice.

Unless you demonstrate something so wonderful in your own manner of being, which makes others say, "That's what I've been looking." "Those are the qualities I want to have as a person." Then you'll be left at best, to intellectual arguments, which sway only a few, and offend many more.

"If any of you comes to make an offering to God, and realizes your brother [human] has something against you, go and make amends with them, and then make your offering to God." -Jesus

If anyone has anything against their brother/sister [human], they will not be allowed to enter heaven, until they only have love for them. (It's in the gospels, paraphrased here, read them carefully.)

You must strive for what others will be benefited by, even if that has minor variances in terms like religion vs spirituality.

Remember, it was the Roman centurion who had the most faith in Jesus up til that point. The rest were blinded by thinking themselves right by their religion, but the centurion was practiced at being humble before his superiors, and Jesus was nothing but kind to all, including the pagans.

Religion without spirituality, chosen by free will, is nothing other than blind dogma -"The blind leading the blind.". "God is Spirit an must be worshiped in Spirit." -Jesus

Answer 5

You're not going to let God down if he doesn't become a Christian. Only God can change his heart-- that's something that you can't do and isn't your responsibility. Just keep praying for him and talking to him about your faith whenever he brings it up or the opportunity arises. Ultimately it's your friend's decision. It's great that you care so much for your friend-- he's very blessed to have you as a close friend. Just keep praying and don't force him to talk about it when he doesn't want to. I'll pray for you two as well!

Answer 6

If you want to keep being his friend you better not try to push your faith in him. He will leave you for sure, there is no doubt. Also religion is about faith and individual spiritualism. the only reason you would think otherwise is because the church has made you belive you need them, and that way they can keep getting your yummy money. The truth is that the real church and house of gods exsist in every persons heart, and you can establish a relationship with him that way. So plz leave him alone, and stop thinking that you are right when no oe knows for sure. For allyou know your way of worshiping is wrong. Good luck.

Answer 7

Are you absolutely sure that your friend was brought into your life for you to "teach him and make him believe"???

What if he were actually brought into your life to show you that there is no need to teach or make others believe in the Godhead???

What if both came together to enjoy the wonders of their time together, and in that good living, you each exampled that which you learn from each other...would this love of life, and this love of another not be the grandest experience to give God????

Answer 8

Pray for him. Also pray that God will work through you for his salvation. Pray that He will guide your words so that you don't push him away but at the same time you can witness to him.

Live a Godly life and let him see how happy you are living for Christ.

Ultimately, though, none of us can win a soul by ourselves. It all comes from God and His working in the individual's heart.

Answer 9

If I told my friend that I have my beliefs and not to bother me about it and then they disrespected my wishes---we would no longer be friends. What kind of "friend" connives behind my back to find ways to coerce me to believe something that I have stated I do not want to believe? What kind of "friend" likes me for what they think they can change me into rather than for who I really am? Manipulation and friendship are two different things. Perhaps you enjoy having your friends plotting behind your back to manipulate your beliefs, but most people do not care for this.

Answer 10

Remember Samuel Johnson's famous words: The path to hell is paved with good intentions?

If you truly love your friend, let him be and choose his own kind of spirituality and religious life, even if that does not involve God. Remember that God our Father loves all His children regardless of whether they believe in Him or not. If you follow God, you should abide by that principle of respect. Otherwise, your good intentions will obscure your sense of respect and you will try to manipulate or force others into thinking like you do. That's not respect...and certainly no godly love.

Please pay attention to your friend, who apparently chooses to remain your friend despite the pressure you put on him to "convert." He's right, if his atheism doesn't bother him, it shouldn't bother you!