prayer request

[marliah]

I think today is the day for me to talk to my friend Patty.

I have been taking the "Way of the Master" training course (which I love by the way) and I feel like God has equipped me to talk to her about salvation. God willing, this is the method I will be using.

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I'm posting this because I need prayers, I need accountability

Comments

[jojobear99]

::praying::
You are right that fear is not from God. But don't forget, true lasting change is a work of the holy spirit, and not a result of what we do or don't do. Friends are some of the hardest people to share our faith with sometimes!

[vijeno]

I appreciate your care for a friend, and I'm thankful for people like you who honestly try to do the best thing they can for their fellows. I would like to give some feedback on the video, how this style of evangelizing comes across to me. I transcribed the first half of the talk.

"...can you name any commandments?"

This is a closed question, given in an authoritarian style to demand an answer. The missionary presupposes that he actually has the authority to gain such information from his partner -- and that it is obligatory for a stranger on the street to know biblical details. It is also a suggestibility test -- someone who is not suggestible and firm in her own beliefs will simply refuse to answer, so everyone who DOES answer is sure to be open to the techniques used.

[chaeri]

O.O wow. i thought it would be bad, but ... well...if a friend tried that with me they would very soon find themselves to be an ex-friend.

Praying

[footprints46]

You will be in my prayers. Am anxious to see how it turns out. May God Bless You!!!

[chaeri]

the best advice i can give is do NOT force it or use any kind of method. just talk. if the conversation comes around to God, great, share what you think and leave it at that. if not, great, you aren't responsible for her salvation anyway.

[vijeno]

Funny thing is, I know communication methods that might be helpful. They all have a tendency to change the user, and they all presuppose that humans are essentially good. Actually, this is starting to get very fascinating for me... There are a few interesting connections that I'm only now starting to see.

[chaeri]

oh, let me amend that: by method i meant something like the video.

things like how to ask a question (what makes you say that? how do you feel about that?) how to actively listen etc are very useful tools.

[vijeno]

Yup. My impresssion is that lots of those tools are fundamentally incompatible with the specific branch of christianity this video seems to come from.

For example, nonviolent communication is fueled by the assumption that every "evil" action is really a tragically failed expression of a valid human need. (If you lie, you possibly want to protect yourself from harm, and the challenge is only to find ways to get that protection without lying.) This is, of course, incompatible with the assumption that humans are essentially evil.

[victoriava]

good for you, I recently talked with my best friend after taking the course too. It went really well. I will be praying for you!!