How do you get a specific group of people closer to God?

[B. W.]

Ice, we are making headway as you have Jesus and God on your mind.

Next, one day you will die and find out yourself how true Jesus really is and what he did.

I just pray you will make it, that one day, the reality of how vile humanity is sinks in and your part in this vileness so you can see your need to be forgiven and set free from this vileness: how. by what Jesus mentions in John 3:14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21

You demand proof God prove himself to you and he did but your pride blocks you from seeing or even trying to understand.

Here is the proof, come to Jesus as he mentions in the verses cited about by repeating Luke 18:13. Become born again and actually find out empirically for yourself.

Only thing stopping you is your pride and condescension. With these two things you hide from all the bad you have done, all the betrayal, rejection, abandonment, lying, slander, putting folks on trial in your mind, your stealing, anger, mocking, scoffing, bitterness, etc you have been apart of nails you as unworthy to enter heaven, period.

Sure you have questions and you use these well to keep hiding from the one sent to rescue you.

You mock us, put us on trial, you scoff at us here on this forum as well as seek to out-maneuver by trying entrap us in some sort of mistake. To tell you the truth, I once did the same as you, then awoke to how vile I was. So stop denying that you do the things mentioned. You have. We have written record of it here.

Why on earth would God want the likes of you to live next door too for all eternity?

Of course you will probably respond with a theme like this: Why would I want to live next to a mean cruel God of the bible who does... (fill in the blanks)

What pride!

May the Lord Jesus Christ release you of your pride and find the light of life, in Jesus name amen...
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P.S.

Now notice the premise - how would one respond to how to get a specific group of people closer to God....

It depends on the person, the relationship built or not built, but the fact remains. People cannot get close to God because their sins i.e. dysfunctional ways separate them from God. That cause must be first done away with before one can come close to God. If not, heaven is polluted as well as all manner of seeking God and none can find him.

How can one even know what is blocking them away from God if it is not somehow first exposed? Ever thought of that? What is blocking you? Let's say it is a condition of terms of our way or the highway god or God's terms...

To come close to God means come on his terms, not yours, or your demands. His terms.

What are his terms?

Well they are: Jesus Christ who died in our place, paying our death penalty for all our pride, betrayal, rejection, abandonment, lying, slander, putting folks on trial in our minds, our stealing, anger, bitterness, selling others out, scoffing, etc in order to release us from serving the slavery that keeps us performing these things. To reconcile us back to God based upon God's work alone, not ours.

This is accomplished by the simplicity of terms - Faith in the Grace of God proved upon the cross of Christ by humanity's collective betrayal, rejection, abandonment, lying, slandering, putting folks on trial in our minds, stealing, anger, mocking scoffing, doubting, bitterness, etc to make ourselves look good and God bad.

God's terms is faith in what he accomplished upon the cross at Calvary that makes us Born Again by His Spirit granted by His free Grace. Just trust him that he did come to save us from ourselves and set us free. Have faith.

You have faith in the grocery clerk to stock the food in the store or the farmer to grow and sell the crops you eat will be there, but Trust God, that he freely will release you from your sin (dysfunctional ways) by His grace shown you - well... That's just too much...

I challenge you Ice and others reading to actually take the time and read John Chapter 3 thru the chapter 21.

Not one of us deserve God's forgiveness. The human race is a mess. All fall short of achieving creating utopias. How have you contributed to the mess? How can one even know what is blocking them away from God if it is not somehow first exposed?

Jesus, the one sent to rescue you reaches out because because he paid the price to resurrect those that reach back to find new life and a better way to live none can steal away. God made it so simple - Faith in His own act of loving grace to expose sin for what it really is, die in our place, bearing both the wrath of man and God in our place for our transgressions of gaming, exploiting His love just to get our gets.

Faith that he will, and does, reconcile us back God who sets us free from broken hearts, captivity, the prison house of our minds, gives us joy in exchange for our woe, grants us ability to overcome adversity, grants us authority as heirs of His salvation, helps us rebuild anew all that we ruined his ways, not ours.

Well, only one way back to God and that is on his terms. He paid it all for us to enter by Faith. Why God's terms and ways alone? Answer because we screw it up. Who made the world such a mess - not God - we did.

Again, how can one even know what is blocking them away from God if it is not somehow first exposed?

No other religion has faith in God's work of grace alone as the means of finding God. This is a good clue that the bible is true. Humanity makes a mess in all its works to do as well as in all its deal making religions it creates.

That is why there can only be one way back to God - so you can identify the correct way which consist of his terms: Eph 2:8,9,10...

Makes sense...

Knocks the pride right out of a person.

Who do you really love the most over all others Ice?
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[Kurieuo]

Sadly, people are more interested in what this or that celebrity wore than questions of God or even death.

Many people just prefer to distract themselves in whatever their work, education, virtual worlds, whatever their interests are. They've bought into the social lie that somehow such things really matter.

Then one day, they're on their death bed and they see the "family" no longer standing beside them was one of the most important things they didn't properly invest in. Cats in the cradle, silver spoon, all that. And they realise the real questions of death and as such what life is about, that they've been putting off for so long, now, perhaps impossible for them seriously to answer in what short time they have left... they put a "hail Mary" prayer out probably "just incase", but is that serious belief?

God needs does the calling and drawing, we are mere signs on a person's spiritual journey pointing in the right direction. It is up to the person themselves to take their steps towards God. To be simply heard though, love and building repoire, starting with something you know interests them and them throwing in a line here or there that ties it back to God. If you listen, you'll be suprised how often people make statements as an attack on God or Christians, which I see as an invitation to question their own perspectives.

[Nessa]

Icemobster,

If you or anybody take Jesus out of the equation then it really is the blind leading the blind...

Getting people to think about God is important but on the other hand, all the thinking in the world is not going to help anyone if their eyes are closed to the truth.

[Kurieuo]

To add to my previous post...

Ice, evidently there's something unique and perplexing about you, I think you realise that, even like knowing it. It puzzles many here, how you can believe in God, even want to lead someone to Christ and yet do not believe.

We are to love and seek God with our minds and hearts and with all our strength. You, have intellectually sought God. Perhaps even prayed to God for understanding, wisdom is only had from God. James 1:5 "But 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."

Yet, while the intellect is there, it seems your heart while open in certain respects as you outwardly search for and find knowledge of God, such is clouded and troubled when receiving inwardly. Only you know what has affected your heart in your life such that it is so guarded and shielded. With my own life, I learnt to put on a thick outer shell and go into battle mode, due to the very emotionally volatile upbringing I had. Even now, it affects my relationship with wife and kids, and I'm sure even with God.

Pharaoh's heart was hardened to God, the issue with people is that hearts are often hardened to God -- that's why many don't wish to entertain questions of His existence; even what the meaning to life really is because such can really only be truly answered if God exists. You're seeing invisible forces at play, and it really shows once you do see and understand how logical the conclusion of God's existence is.

In any case, a properly disposed heart often leads one to see God. This disposition can only be corrected by Christ. That is part of Christian theology. I feel you have knowledge that you've sought, God's perhaps answers your prayer in that respect. Nonetheless, whatever has shaped you in life has affected your heart's ability to receive. Thankfully God can heal us, where others have hurt us. It'll take time. Pray not just for knowledge, but healing to receive as well.

1 Cor 12:3: Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

[abelcainsbrother]

How do you approach, or rather, how (/with what) are you supposed to get certain groups of people, say indifferent towards God, (not necessarily theists nor atheists, they simply didn't make up their mind or haven't given it (much) thought or are simply like: "I don't care.") to think about things such God, religion... to philosophize in general...?

Whenever I try that with certain acquaintances, I find myself simply hitting a brick wall. Perhaps out of my inexperience in conversations, or perhaps out of insufficient knowledge? Either way, I'd like to encourage/stimulate them to think about and I need help as to how to initiate such a situation...

It all starts with the gospel of Jesus. Jesus was a sin sacrifice for all of our sins.God took all of the sin of those who would believe in Jesus and put it all on his son Jesus and all of the punishment for our sins so that we can be saved and have pur sins forgiven and washed away. And now because of what Jesus did we can go to him just as we are sin and imperfections,etc or even thinking we are a good person. But because of Jesus we can be saved and forgiven and it is not hard to believe.

I never had to have proof and evidence that Jesus is true or existed,etc when I was first told about Jesus. It was easy to believe because God loves us and can choose to redeem us anyway he chooses to and he chose Jesus to redeem us. The thing that a lot of people don't understand is that once we are saved by Jesus we are changed on the inside to serve God. It is a miracle,because at one moment we think one way and then when we are saved we think differently. We do not change ourselves like people do in the other religions. In other religions there are rules and laws one must choose to obey and they change their self to go along with these laws and rules.

This is religion and is not Christianity. Atheists call it a placebo effect but this can really only apply to false religions because a placebo effect could never change a person on the inside,but see they don't know about religions and assume they are all the same. This is not true though. In Christianity it is never the person changing their self,no the person is changed to serve God after they are saved. It is hard to explain but when it happens you know you are now different than you was before. Those who have not experienced this are just acting like a Christian and people can do this,but when a person is saved it is a miracle by God inwich the Holy Spirit is put inside the person and because of this they are changed to serve God.

And it is from just one simple prayer that we pray to Jesus and ask him to do and he answers.