advice please for newbie

joey, you can tell people but you can't tell 'em much.

If they don't want to hear it you're wasting your breath. All you can do is show another what the scripture says and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Hence, you need to know the scriptures.

 

Read a lot; pay mind to what is said; eventually speak softly and don't panic for a response.

Cheers,

Jim

 

...typical sermon across this nation.

"you gotta get saved, you gotta get saved, you gotta get saved, you gotta get saved, you gotta get saved!"

For sure it must be a hard job to feed the flock and trying to preach to the lost at the same time. It does appear that way to often the preacher preaches to the sheep devoting the last five minutes encouraging the lost to walk the isle.

Then, and I'm sure that most of us can and have developed an attitude of, "What are they doing here? They aren't one of us!" Well, that woman with all those tattoo's and the seven kids is who the Lord came to save and who he died for to begin with.

 

Joey, I think you got warned because you basically doubted the other person's salvation by saying they "couldn't call themselves a Christian if. . ."

In a debate, stick to the ISSUE and address it without making a personal attack on the other poster. You may not have meant it that way, but your wording attacked the person, not the errant belief. There is a difference.

Stick to scripture, and word your posts with "I believe this way because of this scripture" or "this is my personal opinion/belief and here's why." Stay away from phrases like "you need to" or "you are. . ." because they come across as offensive and personal.

You'll get the hang of it. Remember, presenting your facts in a godly manner is more important than "winning." Keep a humble attitude, even when you're confident you're right. Debate isn't about shoving your opinions down other people's throats and condemning them if they disagree (as we've seen here on BB countless times.) I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

I agree with ABC, nothing will earn you hard feelings faster than questioning someone's elses salvation! Only God knows the heart. Just because the logical conclusion to what they were saying, seems to give Satan more power than God, doesn't mean they haven't been saved or can't be saved or aren't saved yet. It may just be that they are very immature Christians who have been exposed to "popular Christian ideas" rather than scriptural facts. All you'll do by attacking these folks is push farther into their superstitions. You have to lead gently.

Jim gave you the best advice there is. Present the scripture and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.