They Ain't worth it?

[thessalonian]

I do hope the poster who posted those words is not offended by my using them in the title of this thread. I hear this and things like it on Catholic message boards with regard to those who write nasty things about the faith and don't seem to open and it saddens me. Will they bow down to our views right away. Not likely. They will likely curse us and hate us. They will likely rail against them just as the Apostle Paul likely did on the day that stephen was martyred. But the Lord had other plans for him.

We need to be about planting seeds. If those seeds fall on rocky ground that is not our concern. If they fall amongst the briars and thorns that is not our concern either. Plant them we must, for some will fall on good soil and produce thirty, sixty, or 100 fold. And it may just be on a hardened soul like Pauls that killed Christians for a living. Paul went in to the Aeropogus and most of them rejected him. Did that stop his preaching. Peter got the hell beat out of him by hardened souls and thrown in jail. Did he say, I will not preach to these again. The Thessalonians were less noble than the bereans in Acts 17, yet somehow a community of believers started up there.

We cannot know the outcome of our words on these message boards. I recall listening to Tim Staples conversion story and about how he went round and round with this Catholic guy in the marines. He evidently gave the guy no indication that he was bothered by his arguements. But eventually the seeds planted by that man (whom he never named) brought him to be a strong voice for the faith. The seeds we plant may not bear fruit until long after we plant them and it is pride for us to thing we need to reel them in. "I planted, Apollos watered, but the Lord made it grow" Paul says.

My dad had a field that one year came up in clover from end to end. Now he had never planted clover in this field such that there would be a reason for there to be clover seed there. The neighbors said that it had been 20 years since anyone had planted clover there. Well evidently the seed lay dormant all that time until the conditions were right. Don't have the attitude that your words are not effective. Men must wrestle with them in thier hearts and either perish by the truth or come to grips with it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, or 100 fold. Explain the faith to them.

God bless

[Paphnutius]

This reminds me about the story of the young man and the starfish.

[Brother Adam]

There is something though to be said about throwing pearls to swine.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jun 1 2005, 07:40 PM'] There is something though to be said about throwing pearls to swine. [/quote]
I agree but it does not come before you have even attempted to dialogue with someone (which was the context of the title). Jesus in using that verse had spoke to the pharasees many times and they were well grounded in their hardness.

[God Conquers]

I am in agreement with this post, however still find it difficult to make the effort to those I percieve need it the most/are the most closed.

It really is incredible though, the desire the hearts of man have for the Gospel. When preached simply and with faith and conviction, Christ's Truth can be accepted by anyone.


I'd also like to point out Romans 8.

Our words can be seeds. Yet our Prayers are the real motivators. It is impossible to understand those things of the Spirit unless you are of the Spirit.

Once we pray that the Spirit would descend upon someone who we converse with, THEN there is the chance that they might come to understand by that same Spirit.

[MC Just]

I only said it because, some of these people, its like talking to a wall. I've dialogued with a few people like that. I'd rather just pray for them, than try to get them to understand, because some just wont understand.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='God Conquers' date='Jun 1 2005, 11:15 PM']I'd also like to point out Romans 8.

Our words can be seeds. Yet our Prayers are the real motivators. It is impossible to understand those things of the Spirit unless you are of the Spirit.

Once we pray that the Spirit would descend upon someone who we converse with, THEN there is the chance that they might come to understand by that same Spirit.
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If you are attempting to converse without first asking the Holy Spirit to guide the hearts and minds of all involved then your work is not rooted in Christ but in your own will to prove your Truth supreme. Though we know we have the Truth and those with which we converse are often stubborn and even tempermental, we are there simply to plant seeds and if the Lord wills it to help with conversion. The Spirit is the source of all conversion and so also the beginning middle and end of all proper dialogue, Catholic or otherwise.

[Mikhail]

Catholics need to remember too to keep your priorities straight. If you meet two people and have to choose to witness to one of the other, and one is a non-Catholic Christian and the other is an atheist, the focus should be on the atheist. The Christian is at least is trying to follow God and is more likely to find the truth than the other person.

[CatholicCid]

[quote name='Mikhail' date='Jun 10 2005, 03:48 AM']Catholics need to remember too to keep your priorities straight. If you meet two people and have to choose to witness to one of the other, and one is a non-Catholic Christian and the other is an atheist, the focus should be on the atheist. The Christian is at least is trying to follow God and is more likely to find the truth than the other person.
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I was thinking earlier "Father, why am I here? What is my purpose... But, please, waste no miracles or revelations on me... There are others who need you more than I"