Evidence for God from Science

I got this Christian guy who question my faith about apologetics that we Apologist shouldn't argue against any other religion as he quoted in Timothy 1, Chapter 6:2-5.

He told me to stop being an apologist and just be a Christian. Can you help me here because he's very good with scripture...

Kevin_Vang wrote:I got this Christian guy who question my faith about apologetics that we Apologist shouldn't argue against any other religion as he quoted in Timothy 1, Chapter 6:2-5.

He told me to stop being an apologist and just be a Christian. Can you help me here because he's very good with scripture...

I'll post something here a bit later as this topic came up during my latest ministry trip...

For now need to take care of a lawn and pay bills...
-
-
-

Kevin_Vang wrote:I got this Christian guy who question my faith about apologetics that we Apologist shouldn't argue against any other religion as he quoted in Timothy 1, Chapter 6:2-5.

He told me to stop being an apologist and just be a Christian. Can you help me here because he's very good with scripture...

I don't understand... Where in 1 Timothy 6:2-5 does it say to stop being an apologist?

Hi Kevin,

Please note these verses:

Jude 1:3, 4 - "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." NKJV

1 Timothy 6:3, 4, 5, "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself." NKJV

1 Peter 3:15, 16 - "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." NKJV

Rom 12:18, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." NKJV

The next verse sums it up very well,

Gal 1:10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." NKJV

Much of the 'never argue about another's religion' idea seeks to persuade God to conform and bow to men. We are called to be respectful of others and as believers we are called to persuade and contend for the faith. Other religions always are based on works and seek to earn favor or earn a path to heaven or whatever. This seeks to persuade God to bow to man and make God servant to human whim.

When speaking to others of another’s faith, first be respectful, point out contradictions, and seek to persuade – not force. When they respond – show them how they are trying to force God to bow to the ways they evoke. Read Acts 17 about Paul and how he spoke on Mars Hill as a form of apologetics. A person’s Salvation is always in the hands of God.

Let me illustrate:

I spoke to a man stepped in Native American traditions concerning sweat lodges purification rites. We mentioned how another Native American Christian mentioned how such ceremonies invite spirits into the sweat lodge to inhabit people participating. The man said, no they do not do this, spirits do not enter a participant but rather come and sit alongside participants.

This is a similitude of our response to him: So they still do invoke spirits in the sweat lodge and it has not cured the suicide, hopelessness, bitterness, abuse on the Reservations, has it? Your desire is noble but seeking to manipulate spirits to cleanse seems to produce the opposite results intended, does it not? Invite spirits to sit next to a person sounds like something other than relying of the Lord alone to save…

We batted around a bit and this man claims to be a Christian but who mixes Native American religion with Christianity in an attempt to stop abuses on the Reservations. He claims the shamans are only doing things for good – with the best intentions.

Yeah, we would respond and ask why the shamans killed a puppy, circled the place we stayed, and left the puppy by the gate? Good intentions? What about the puppy? Shamans must Respect all life – what of the puppies?

His response would be that we do not understand and ways of shaman and the bible is open to interpretation. All they do is for the best good of the people.

Our response: Kill a puppy to curse us who seek to really break the cycle of suicide, hopelessness, bitterness, abuse on the Reservations through the blood of Christ as it is written in John 8:32, 36 (quote aloud) in exchange to have spirits come inside a sweat lodge and sit alongside a person to guide (cleanse) them – the evidence of the current suicide, hopelessness, bitterness, abuse rates on the Reservation show these spirits have other intents…

Then shamans send a curse (dead dog - puppy) our way for the greatest good because we preach that only Christ can stop the suicide, hopelessness, bitterness, abuse rates on the Reservations shows another side does it not? What is the real issue why such curses are invoked against us?

Once past that, you can deal with the issues of Boarding Schools, Govt abuse… etc and then attack the real reasons for suicide, hopelessness, bitterness, abuse on the Reservations…

In the end, he went his way – all we can do is to persuade with truth and pray that the Lord will open the way to his heart to see the error of his ways and let it go at that. Some become born again into Christ’s salvation, others do not – that work belongs to the Holy Spirit our job be willing vessels that seek to persuade using truth.
-
-
-

defensive Christianity can not be evangelical at the same time. we should be aggressive not in terms of violence of course but in perusing our cause and the mission of the Gospel. And for that Apologetics does indeed count as there are a lot of wrong nonsense kind of anti biblical teachings out there, to be fair at least, we should be upholding our end. my suggestion don't listen to people who don't care who says what and does not do anything, sitting idly. If it'd would be up to them nobody would be countering the endless accusations and attacks on modern Christianity.

I'd say, To those who know what is right, it is a moral obligation on them to tell others what is right. If it wasn't the case why did Jesus himself questioned pharisees and masters of the law.