Welcome to Gaia! ::

So for many of you/us, we are at different places in our walks.

Some of us are just figuring out what this whole 'religion' is about..

some enjoy time at church, but aren't really ready to stand up and announce to the world "HEY CHECK IT OUT! I'M CHRISTIAN" (which I'm not saying go to a park and shout it at the top of your lungs, people may just think your wierd O.o)

But for those of you/us who are confident and comfortable in our faith, I wanna challenge you to go and spread the "Good News of Great Joy that will be for All the people"

I would like to focus this particular thread on ideas and ways to tell others- because there are many ways to approach a person, some ways work, some ways dont.

wahmbulance BUT we have to be careful, because if we get up into people's faces, we may drive them away permanently, because they will expect all Christians to be 'in your face' preachers who think they know everything... not good.

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For me, I like to wander around the Gaia Towns (where some of you have met me no doubt) and find a 'dark' looking chat area or even person, (Not meant to be a judgemental statement, but many people portray themselves in a dark manor. Be clear I. Am. Not. Judging. You okies? ^_^)

I like to just start conversations, one of my favorite questions is "Where did you come up with your name?" (especially if they are 'demon' or 'vampire' or something along those lines)

Then I like to ask 'why' they like that, and I find out more of how they see the world (notice this is about THEM not me) In order to reach someone, we need to understand where they are coming from, and the reasoning behind thier actions.

Many people will just open up, God prepares thier heart, and they may share things with me that they never tell anyone, even bad things. (This is IMPORTANT) I Do Not judge thier actions, I don't call them stupid or satanic, or any judgemental statement, because "We ALL fall short of the Glory of God" I am no better just because I have never smoked or whatever.
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That's one example of how to start the relationship. If you want to tell someone about Christ, it's not gonna be easy. If you want, your welcome to PM me and we can go to a town together and to a team thing..

wahmbulance BUT Warning on Teams: people can get overwhelmed Very easily if two are there, because "When two or more are gathered, God is there" and they can feel ganged up on. So be aware if you go in pairs or groups.

However, if you go in a big group, what you can do is go to an area and just start chatting bout God, or your testimonies and people will naturally be curious and may join in. This is a good thing ^_^, but once again, lets not gang up or domokun on our neighbors k?

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
***Attitude***~ they watch how we treat eachother and others, "Do not conform to the ways of this world" no cybering your neigbor while saying "Repent from your sins!" (thats known commonly as a Hypocrite)

***Judgements and Prejudice***~ many will come in with previous views on what Christianity Really is, (how ever OFF it may be) so if they ask "Are you a Christian" they are looking for stereotypical preacher's kid who's gonna talk thier ear off. So even when they ask, I prefer to answer "I'm a Child of the Light" because many aren't familiar with the term, and will continue talking, or if the ARE Christian, they will recognize it and know they are not alone in this continual battle.

***The "Know it All"***~ Oh boy, these are the fun theologians who believe there is no Truth, or believe God is just a hoax, or like to have Theory of Knowledge debates and test your limits. These people are awesome opportunities to challenge you faith, BUT~ I highly recommmend having a Bible at your side, cause your gonna be looking up lots of verses. Many of them will ask question after question to get you to falter and disprove your faith. Stand firm! Even if you don't know the answer, you can say "hey I don't know much bout that, can I have some time to look it up and get back to you?"

If you can't find it yourself, perhaps post it in here, and your fellow Christians can offer support, and perhaps someone is an expert in that field, i.e. Science proving God's existence~ I'm no expert, but I know that some of the strongest Atheists in History went out to prove God didn't exist, and they ended up being Huge Christians who made a Serious difference, (i.e. C.S. Lewis? JRR Tolkien? any sounding familiar?)

***Personal Attitude***~ NEWS FLASH! People are gonna annoy you, frustrate you, call you stupid, or just argue with you til Judgement Day. The Devil is going to do everything in his power to get you to go away, he HATES it when we shine. It's your responsibility to be the grown-up, if someone calls you names, you can say 'thank you' or even compliment them in return, they won't have any idea what to do with it, and they will probably stop.

If you have a personal grudge against a certain type of people, don't try to fix them... i.e. If you hate emos don't walk up to one and say "Your dark, you need help" (-_- this isn't recieved very well k?) They are people just like you, and they are most likely 'dark' because they are in pain and need LOVE.

wahmbulance REMEMBER wahmbulance :
WE can't change people, We can't alter thier minds! That's God's job and HIS ALONE. We can only share what we have in hopes that thier heart is prepared...

and if a session didn't go so well, you can pray that God will protect the seeds planted in thier heart, and that He will help the seeds to grow in His time.
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It may take a long time before you can share the Good News with some people, but if you make it clear that you care about them as a person FIRST it makes a whole world of difference.

I could stand up and preach to anybody, but even people who argue with me for an entire night have a high respect for me, and often Want to talk to me again because I am not judgemental or rude. I respect thier boundaries, and many can see, just by how I talk, that I have something that they want... hope. (whether they see that themselves or not)

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SO now that I've talked your ear off, for those of you reaching out to your community, what are your experiences?

What are some questions that come up that are hard to answer? Perhaps together we can figure out how to answer it in the best way.

(I wanna ask some of these questions too, but my brain is fryed at the moment... too much info)

lol not quite what you were expecting?

^_^ Naw, I was curious about your name. Remember?
Well he gives us the freedom to choose, but he also whispers to our hearts, which can sometimes allow us to come to realization that he isn't so scary.
Of course me, I argue with him, then he laughs, and helps me realize how silly I am being. Or he gives me warning, my favorite example is when he told me to put my gas cap on the driver's seat. I didn't listen and drove away without putting it back on. (that was the 3rd gas cap I have lost... I must say, he did try...LOL)