If you are asking me if I think witnessing should be about bringing a basket of flowers attitude..I would say yes..however with the strength of truth which is found in Christ the LORD... Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is that sword, even when you bring a *Basket of Flowers*
As I said in earlier posts, the former LDS members are the best witnesses to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to Mormons and counteract thier false doctrine with the *Truth* of the Holy Bible and Gospel of Christ, that is why I said I will bow out, because I do not know what Mormon doctrine teaches, I just know many Mormons say they are Christians and believe JOHN 14:6.
IMHO Jews who find Jesus Christ are the best witnesses to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to non-believing Jews and Muslims who reach out to other Muslims with the Gospel of Christ, I believe thier is more of a trust level when people that have been of the same faith can be a faithful witness when they do find the truth of Jesus Christ to preach to members of there former religion.
From my personal experience as a witness for Jesus Christ I was never successful in reaching the lost with *in your face, going to Hell* methods with un-believers, I found *as you say: A Basket of Flowers approach, to be a tool that people embraced and wanted to learn more about the Jesus Christ I was witnessing for....
If you asked people that have left the Church, why they left most will say because they were forced by methods of Hell and damnation if they did not go.....
Tara, there is a very long history here between two groups of posters. You have no idea of what has gone on before.
We use different methods for different circumstances. If you knew me in “real life” you would see me being a kind, compassionate flower-strewing witness most of the time.
We see a group of people bastardizing and blaspheming Chritianity and trying to suck other people down into their pit. we’ve tried to reason them out of it. We’ve tried to love them out of it.
But at some point it’s a declared war and it’s been going on for years before you wandered in.
I suggest you get on the internet and do several weeks of investigating the LDS religion and see if you still consider it worthy of defense. It will be very enlightening, I promise.
When I hear that excuse, and it is a popular and EASY way out, I am reminded of the book "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"..........even moreso the fact Christ Jesus warned more about Hell than He spoke of Heaven. Further, Most do not base their beliefs on what mans behavior is or ideas of a church. They give their life to Christ...get well acquainted with Him in the relatioship He desires...and then find a church in which to become a part of the body of believers....who are the reflection of Christ to an unsaved world. (Keeping in mind he equipps each according to his plan and purposes...not ours or someone elses idea of).
As I said in earlier posts, the former LDS members are the best witnesses to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to Mormons and counteract thier false doctrine with the *Truth* of the Holy Bible and Gospel of Christ, that is why I said I will bow out, because I do not know what Mormon doctrine teaches, I just know many Mormons say they are Christians and believe JOHN 14:6.
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Perhaps we are the ‘best’ to reach them. That does not give you an excuse to not try to reach them, to claim they are Christians and part of the body of Christ (as you did up thread several times).
How about LEARNING what they believe so you can witness to the ones you meet rather than ASSUME someone else will. Mayber YOU are the one to reach them.
So your ‘bowing out’, is cowardly and unchristian.
Stand for Christ.
And again, you are confusing ‘extraction’ (the you are going to hell in your face method) with witnessing (which is much gentler) but witnessing can’t come until they see that the need Jesus, a different Jesus than the one their cults claim (and they are different Christs).
With cultists (JW’s, LDS) especially the Restorationist groups, there needs to be a certain amount of extraction first. You need to get through to them that all is not well in their church, that they don’t have the ‘truth’, and that even though they SAY and believe they are Christians, their beliefs and religion are unbiblical.
So rather than sit in La-La land, do some research and get out there and help us!
BTW, since you grew up JW, do you witness to them? Or do you ‘bow out’ of that as well?
Or do they even need to be witnessed to in your opinion? Are JW’s Christians?