Is it wrong that I do not feel compelled to convince anyone of Gods existence? I merely choose?

Question

to give answers when asked and what they do with it is up to them not me. I do not feel an urgent need to save them. Mainly because I know I can't and I know they must choose on their own. Is this a wrong attitude?

Answer 1

I am not to judge your place with God. We are commanded to "go to all nations and preach the word". We are called to give example of Christ by our words, deeds and life. The thing is simple. You have confessed that you have choose to live for God. Great! Love to you brother/sister in Christ. How mature you are at this point in your walk with Christ...is between you and God. When one gives their life to Christ, it is the first step. After that there is a growing in faith and understanding. It is spiritual maturity. The more you come to know God and follow his plan for your life, the more you seek to fulfill his ways. There will come a time for you that you will desire to give testimony, be an example and assist others find God. Do not beat yourself up...you have already started this process by confessing here and now...that you choose God. That is short and sweet and great testimony. What you say and how you live is another testimony. It may be Gods purpose for you to give example in a subtle way like this. Others are called to minister with preaching abilites. We all have special gifts, special abilities and ceratin God given missions. Not everyone is called to do the same things. Hats off to you for bringing this up. I believe there is much confusion among many new followers. They think we all fit into a certain mold and all act a certain way...not true. God teaches us that we all together make up the body of Christ. We can't all be the mouth, some are the eyes, some are the hands, some are the feet, etc. No one has a better purpose or lesser puspose. We are all needed to be who we are and to live for what God has called us to be. Find your spiritual gift (all Christians have been given unique spiritual gifts) and use htis gift in the way God designed it for your purpose. You will really get it when you discover who you are designed to be in Christ. It is a very exciting time for you. I remember being at thet stage of my walk with Christ. I really doubted that I had any special gift. I really could not figure it out. I was not even certain how I could identify who I was in Chrsit, what made me unique, and what gift if any I had. I prayed about it for a long time. I did not find an answer right away. One day, least expected time, I was listening to a man of God, a wonderful genuine minister, he was giving a sermon on the matter. He said very simply, once you are in accordance with Christ, he will reveal you spiritual gift and call you to use it to further the ministry of God. The way you know what your gift is...is it is a very real part of you, something that you are or possess that you take for granted. You may even believe that this gift, quality etc is something that evryone possesses because you just take it for granted. When you explore and compare yourself, your gift to others you start to see that not everyone does possess this quality and you realize it is a very good quality and is used for the good of you, others and God. That is your gift. Then you must identify how to use it. It is exciting. It is an awesome experience. Your soul feels God working through you each time you use this gift. You can actually feel Gods love. Soul search and find your gift. Resist comparing yourself and your works to others. We are all unique and designed that way for purpose. I see God working through you right now, in this question. You are seeking to grow to the next level with Christ. Godspeed!
This following article may help. It was taken from Dr Stanley:

Discovering God's Will

How do I discern the will of God for my life?
What role does Scripture have in finding God's will?

Discerning God's Will
God understands our need to make intelligent decisions about very practical concerns. He wants us to keep the big picture in mind and concentrate on our relationship with Him, but He is a God of the details as well.
He told Abraham where to move. He'll help you know if you should be in Topeka or Nashville. He gave Moses a new job description. He'll guide you as you make a mid-life career change.
I seriously doubt God will use visions, dreams, or some sort of supernatural phenomenon to communicate His plan. That was His method long ago, but we have a better way today of knowing what the mind of Christ is for the decisions we must make.

The Scriptures
The Bible is the cornerstone for knowing God's guidance. Any quest for guidance apart from the light of God's Word is perilous.
The Scripture is God's revelation to men. It is the progressive unfolding of His wisdom and ways. For instance, how would we know the plan of salvation apart from the Bible?
The psalmist wrote: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105) He realized that as he meditated on the Scriptures he would "have more insight than all [his] teachers." (Psalm 119:99)
The Scriptures tell what God's moral will is. They tell us what to do and what not to. It is God's will that we maintain a grateful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and live in a holy manner. (1 Thessalonians 4:3) Conversely, it is not God's will that we grumble and complain or engage in immoral thoughts or actions.
These things are plain, but often we overlook the very basics of Scripture in seeking to know God's will. It's pointless to ask God if we should be involved in church on Sunday or spend fifty-two weekends a year at the lake. (Hebrews 10:24)
The principles of God are also rooted in the Bible. They provide spiritual parameters which at some point we will intersect in our decision-making.
We may be in a serious quandary over whether or not to purchase an automobile. The Bible doesn't have any information on Chevrolets or Fords, but it has a lot say that is pertinent. God's principles on debt, savings, and contentment all factor into the answer.
The Scriptures are also where God's promises are revealed. Some are conditional, dependent on our obedience; others simply tell us what God will do if we trust Him.
Philippians 4:19 assures me that God will meet my needs. I don't always know how or when, but I can count on the resources of God for the demands of modern living. That is an incredible promise that settles and sustains me.
One of the best suggestions I can make is to spend time daily meditating on God's Word. Your mind will be renewed in this exercise and the principles and promises will become part of your new way of thinking. When you need to know God's will in a matter, you have a tremendous advantage for you can recall much of what God has said in His Word. This also prevents what someone has called the "lucky dip method" of opening the Scripture and looking for a verse to guide you. That's terribly unorthodox and incompatible with spiritual maturity. It may work sometimes, but don't count on it.
The Lord's simple requests are often steppingstones to life's most wonderful blessings. Simon Peter is a good illustration of what happens when we say yes to God. In Luke 5:1–11, people were pressing in around Jesus while He was preaching. The Lord wanted to use Peter's boat as a floating platform from which to address the crowd on shore, so He asked the future apostle to push the vessel out a little way. (v. 3) This in itself was not a particularly remarkable request, but Peter's compliance paved the way for multiple blessings. And from his example, we learn how essential it is to obey God in even the smallest matters.

Immediately, the crowd was blessed by Peter's obedience—they were now able to hear Jesus' words as He taught. Then, when the lesson was completed, the Lord said to Peter, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch" (v. 4). Here was another opportunity to say yes or no, and Peter must have felt tempted not to consent. After all, he had worked the entire night in hopes of a catch but had returned empty-handed. And now Jesus was telling him to go fishing again! But notice what happened as a result of Peter's obedience: on a day that he and his colleagues had written off as a total loss, they pulled in not one, but two overflowing boatloads of fish. (v. 7) Saying yes to the Lord's request resulted in a miracle that absolutely transformed the fisherman's life.

Obedience is critical to the successful Christian life, and there are several truths that will help you understand it from a divine perspective:

1. Obeying God in small matters is an essential step to God's greatest blessings. Suppose Peter had said, "I'm busy cleaning my nets right now. I can't help you because I'm going fishing again tonight—I just don't have the time." Or he could have said, "Why don't you ask to use that other boat over there?" or "I've already been fishing today. It would be a waste of time to go again right now." Peter could have said a number of things. If he had said anything other than yes, he would have missed the greatest fishing experience of his life. But because of Peter's obedience, the Lord arranged a miracle that he would never forget.

Oftentimes God's greatest blessings come as a result of our willingness to do something that appears to be very insignificant. So ask yourself, Has God been challenging me to do something seemingly unimportant that I have not yet made an effort to accomplish? Is there anything I have rationalized by saying, 'It's too difficult,' 'I don't want to,' or 'I have to pray about it'?

2. Our obedience is always beneficial to others. Think of how many people were blessed by Peter's obedience. Not only was the crowd able to see the Lord and hear His lesson, but Jesus Himself also benefited: preaching from the boat afforded Him the comfort of being able to sit down while he spoke. (v. 3) Then, of course, Peter's friends had a very profitable day—they took in two vessels so full of fish that both began to sink. More importantly, they had the opportunity to witness something supernatural.

God often rewards other people, in particular those closest to us, as a result of our obedience. For example, no father can be obedient to God without blessing pouring out into the lives of his wife and his children. And a child's obedience will likewise bless his or her parents.

3. Obeying God may require doing some things that appear to be unreasonable. Peter was experienced at his trade—he knew all the best fishing spots and understood the optimal times and conditions for a catch. Then Jesus, an itinerant preacher and carpenter, approached the seasoned fisherman and said, "Let's go fishing." Peter must have been thinking, He is certainly a wonderful teacher, but I'm the fisherman. We fished all night long with no success, and besides, it is now midday, the worst possible time to net anything. But to his credit, Peter chose to obey Jesus (v. 5) and as a result experienced a stunning display of divine power.

Our obedience to God should never be based on whether something seems rational or fits with the world's way of thinking. That is not to say God always bypasses common sense, but oftentimes what He requires of us may not appear reasonable or match our preconceived ideas. This is exactly what happened just before I came to Atlanta. I had always believed that to be effective in ministry, a pastor must stay in one pulpit for a long time. Yet, after only eleven months in Bartow, Florida, I began to hear God speak to me about coming to Georgia, which struck me as extremely unreasonable. I gave the Lord reason after reason why I should remain in Florida, including that my preacher friends would think I had failed in that position. God was not at all persuaded and kept pressing my heart to do as He instructed. If I had not submitted—if I had said, "No, God, it is simply not logical"—I would have missed tremendous blessings.

4. When we obey God, we will never be disappointed. Because of his experience with fishing, Peter no doubt assumed Jesus' instructions would amount to killing time, waiting for nothing to happen. But when he complied with that simple request, he was gripped with amazement at what the Lord brought about. We, like Peter, must recognize that obeying God is always the wise course of action. Jesus turned an empty boat into a full one. He can also take our emptiness—whether it is related to finance, relationship, or career—and change it into something that is splendid and thriving.

Perhaps you hesitate to obey because you are afraid of the consequences. Remember that the same sovereign, omnipotent God who keeps your heart beating and the planets orbiting is more than able to handle the circumstances of your obedience. I am not saying that to obey will necessarily result in the exact outcome you desire; in fact, an intervening trial could possibly precede a blessing. But even when our expectations do not line up with God's purposes, that in no way means His ways will be disappointing; on the contrary, however He chooses to bless our obedience will ultimately prove far more satisfying.

5. Our obedience allows God to demonstrate His power in our life. If Peter had said no, he would have missed an awesome demonstration of divine power that made his faith skyrocket and initiated the most thrilling three years imaginable. Walking with the Lord Jesus Christ every day, the disciple would witness miracles even greater than two boatloads of fish—a blind man would begin to see, dead Lazarus would be restored to life, and at Jesus' urging, Peter himself would step out of a boat, not into the water, but onto it! Why do you think he had the courage to leave his vessel and walk on the water toward Christ? The reason is that Peter started by saying yes to a small thing. Then each time God rewarded his obedience, the apostle's faith grew, to the point that he believed his Master not only controlled the fish in the water but also had absolute authority over the water itself!

6. Obeying God always results in a deeper understanding of Him and of ourselves. Prior to this incident, Peter knew Jesus as a carpenter, and he also had heard the Lord teach profound truths to the crowds. However, obeying Christ's request set the stage for Peter to get brand-new insight—the Lord's holiness and sovereign authority over nature were clearly evident through the miraculous catch. And by contrast, the fisherman clearly recognized his own sinfulness for the first time. (v. 8) When we obey God, we, too, will discover that a change takes place in our heart.

7. Obeying God can result in dramatic changes in our life. Simon Peter had in all likelihood intended to spend the rest of his life fishing. But everything changed with one simple act of obedience. He willingly laid down his net and walked into a whole new lifestyle of following the Lord Jesus Christ.

God can revolutionize our life too. For some people, this could mean a change of career, a new location, or a different relationship. Are you willing to do what God says, when and how He says to do it? Are you willing to leave all the consequences to Him? The hymn writer expressed it simply: "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey." Let me add a truth to that: There is no such thing as happiness apart from Jesus. Without a right relationship to Christ, you will never have real contentment, peace, or assurance. Nothing else in this world can ever truly satisfy.

To become disciples who are completely surrendered to Christ, we must begin by obeying Him in every aspect of our life, however small it may seem. Remember the good servant, who heard his master say, "Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities" (Luke 19:17 NIV). Unless you say yes to a little request from the Lord, you will never know what your life could have been like—or what wonderful blessing would have been yours if only you had obeyed God. Why risk losing when you can be certain of winning?


"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."


James 1:5



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you."


Psalm 32:8



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."


Psalm 119:105



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life."


Proverbs 6:22-23



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."


Joshua 1:8



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left."


Isaiah 30:21



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death."


Psalm 48:14



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established."


Proverbs 16:3



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way."


Psalm 37:23



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me."


Psalm 31:3



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."


Proverbs 3:5-6



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 'I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.'"


Isaiah 48:17



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"The LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."


Isaiah 58:11



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come."


John 16:13

Answer 2

It can nevertheless it undoubtedly does not need to - there's a phrase known as "reconciliation". If evolution and creationism can someway be reconciled to one another, which is not that tough to do, given the shrewd nature of God and guy, then there must be no hindrance... As for the phrase "truthfulness", once more, we don't always need to use this phrase. We might additionally consult with this quandary because the Bible's "detailed which means".... What is the detailed which means of and nature of Genesis? Do we even understand? Or are we able to quite simplest speculate? This is also query approximately our intentions. Do we quite consider in God? And if we do, how is it that we don't discover that God desires us to discover what the reality of the problem, some thing the subject, is? We must quite query what are intentions are after we ask those questions, or else, if we don't or for a few purpose can't query ourselves, then we have to face the truth that we suppose we're correct all the time, and that, finally, is unsuitable as good...

Answer 3

I won't say you're "wrong," but I can say you're missing a great blessing.

You see, we have two commands regarding confessing our faith:

1) Col. 4:5 "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." It seems you're doing this; good job!

2) Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Jesus commands us to evangelize; in other words, don't just wait until someone approaches you -- approach them and give them the Good News!

You're correct that it's not your job to "convince" anyone; that's the job of the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit needs us to be receptive to preaching the gospel so the person can be worked on. Does this make sense?

Romans 10:14 sums up this concept very well: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Preaching is active, not passive; and preaching is not confined only to ministers! We are all called to do it. Don't be obnoxious, but understand you MUST preach the Word by evangelizing. If you'd like to learn how to evangelize, I unhesitatingly recommend Ray Comfort's website: www.livingwaters.com Ray also wrote an amazing book called "The Way of the Master." This book teaches you to evangelize in the same manner Jesus Christ did.

Peace.

Answer 4

Well, many Christians are not compelled, but they should be. You should care greatly that you can help save someone from eternal damnation in hell. Its like, if you saw an old lady walking across the street and she was about to get hit by a bus, you would have no problem running out there and saving her just in time. So, why wouldn't you do the same for something that is so much more important? Some will resist, but many more will receive the message and be saved by eternal damnation. You're right, its their decision, but its your job to tell them and be as convincing as you can be so they understand the seriousness of your message. Good luck.

Answer 5

Well, I wouldn't say it was outright wrong, but I think it could be better. Yes, people have to choose on their own, but they have to be introduced to God *somehow* You need to be open to being used by God however He sees fit, and part of a way God wants to use us is to witness to others.

Having said that, witnessing isn't always just about opening your mouth and trying to convince people of God's existance. You can lead an honourable and Godly life and let it be known that you are a follower of Christ and that can be just as effective as verbal witnessing. So, since you didn't really say if you go about witnessing in that manner, perhaps your attitude is right and your heart is in the right place. As long as you are witnessing somehow, it doesn't necessarily have to be through preaching to anyone who will listen.

Answer 6

I think you have a very good attitude. If people ask you a question, answer the best you can, then let them decide what to do with the information you give. I wish all believers were like this.

Jesus did not go and preach to those who did not want to hear him. look and you will find that everyone "CAME" to him. Jesus answered questions and healed people, but if they chose to walk away and not act on his teachings, you will find he did not chase them down and hound them into submission like you see people doing today.

People like the saying "What would Jesus do" > I prefer to say this' " I KNOW WHAT JESUS DID AND WOULD DO, MY QUESTION IS ARE YOU WILLING TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE?".

Answer 7

I am on the same boat. I would love to see everyone saved but I am not going to push my religion on anyone. I will answer questions and debate or discuss it all day long but I too realize there are some who simply will not hear. As long as they respect my right to believe, I can respect their right not to.

Answer 8

...In my Christian life, I knew people were going to Hell without Christ, and I confessed to God that I felt no compassion for them. I prayed and asked God to give me a heart for those who are lost, and He honored that - and several times since then I have asked God to open up times when I can share the Gospel, and He has.
...You're right that God is the only one who can save, but He has given to us the Gospel, the Word of reconciliation. It is our privilege to preach the Gospel to everyone. We all need wisdom when to share, also.

Answer 9

This, in my opinion is a most enlightened attitude, one which no human in their right mind could find issue with. The days of forced and enforced conversions are behind us and if people don't believe that, time will tell the tale.

Answer 10

GOD did not ask you to convince anyone of his existence. GOD only asked you to spread the Good News of his love and acceptance of you the sinner. He asked you to accept his son as the Savior and to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Once you have TRULY accepted JESUS into your heart you will be amazed at what you can do.. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the words and wisdom to convey his message(In JESUS NAME)

Answer 11

So you say,

God spoke of many parables which talk about God's Word - You plant the seed - God will provide the rain and dirt required to make the seed grow - the seed has to determine own it's own to grow.

So - in other words - you are doing the right thing.