I was recently thinking about the small debate I had with HizzChild concerning testifying our faith through our acts, and I wanted to share this experience with you, in the hope of gaining your advice and feedback concerning this issue.
Im in Turkey this week. SOmething happened that made me think of this issue. Something really bad in fact. I honestly regret not doing more. Praying for people silently sometimes is not enough. If u see something wrong, I truly think you should speak out. Even saying :"that's wrong". I know it could make u unpopular by speaking out, but the other alternative is much worse. The alternative is what i'm feeling now: in need of an absolution for not doing more.
I found myself in a situation just this week where I was praying for someone who proposed something very indecent. I honestly regret not doing more than just praying for them.
Perhaps I'm zealous.. i don't know, but prayer without action isn't good. Its like if I see a man going to kill someone, and all I do is pray that no one is injured... i feel that my prayer is just an excuse to not do any good acts sometimes.
I'm pretty sure now that me not doing more was wrong because of how I feel now. I have no peace in my heart. I was saying to myself :"its none of my business what people do, so i'll just pray for them". Despite the fact that I tried to draw their attention that its wrong, it wasn't enough to make me feel absolved. I'm still searching for an absolution in my heart for what I didnt do, and I find no comfort in the justification that "i prayed for them silently".
Prayer, without any action is not good. Its like meeting someone who is poor and needs food, clothing,money and love, and all you have to say or offer them is the well known cliché :"I'll pray for you". It seems really dishonest.
Comments
There is a time for speaking out, and sometimes, there is not. If you do this it must be in ALL wisdom, IT MUST BE THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKIG THROUGH YOU! Words can have huge affects on human beings, poisitive AND negative. You could say something two people, and they take it in completely opposite ways... Furthermore, neither of their hearings could reflect what you actually meant. This is why we shouldn't take the risk.
We should pray that the Holy Spirit speaks through us everything that is appropriate, so that we may reflect Christ in our words and silence.
You're undermining the power and worth of Prayer. Prayer is the BESTESTTT thing you can do for others, and sometimes, it's the only thing you can do.
There is a time for speaking out, and sometimes, there is not. If you do this it must be in ALL wisdom, IT MUST BE THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKIG THROUGH YOU! Words can have huge affects on human beings, poisitive AND negative. You could say something two people, and they take it in completely opposite ways... Furthermore, neither of their hearings could reflect what you actually meant. This is why we shouldn't take the risk.
We should pray that the Holy Spirit speaks through us everything that is appropriate, so that we may reflect Christ in our words and silence.
I KNEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW You'd say that. lol
How r u mon amie?
Frankly, splapping him (& HER) (yeah, there was 2 of them) around the head would have done good for them, and me. They needed it, and I needed it badly too.
This is the act i'm talking about... WHAT prayer!!
lol...
OK - let's see if anyone else feels the same. (nice to see u again btw).
[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=6573.msg87097#msg87097 date=1210402346]
This is the act i'm talking about... WHAT prayer!!
Prayer is an act - A very powerful one.
Slapping people is hardly gonna get any job done. lol .
what does mon amie mean?
[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=6573.msg87097#msg87097 date=1210402346]
This is the act i'm talking about... WHAT prayer!!
Prayer is an act - A very powerful one.
Slapping people is hardly gonna get any job done. lol .
I meant slapping them, but not in a bad way... in a good way.. say 10 psi worth of power on the back of their heads... not in a viscious violent - i'm gonna kill u way.. but enough to make them fall on the floor and think about what they've done.
But I didnt do that. I didnt feel like slapping them. I prayed for them, but what I hate the most was praying seemed to be the most peaceful option for me. It may not have done much good??
We'll wait and see...
I really felt sorry for them.
Do you mind sharing this event with us?
What event? U mean the details?? I'd love to, but its just so sad and frankly disgusting that it may not be appropriate.
Turkey is a muslim country that is losing its identity. fast. The people are quite friendly, and really cool, and not fanatical at all, but I think what goes on here is more immoral than in western Europe. sorry to say.
Trying to redirect people in a loving truthful way is the only way to go. Prayer or behalf of them does satisfy this condition.
Whatever the situation, you're desire to 'slap them out of it' is out of disgust of their actions. It is most definitely not something we are required to do or even allowed to do - because it's not the loving thing to do.
Trying to redirect people in a loving truthful way is the only way to go. Prayer or behalf of them does satisfy this condition.
I agree. Slapping them even for me was the hardest option. I mean... i had no DESIRE to slap them... i felt it was what they needed. Instead, I was tired, and I just prayed for them. See what I mean??
Sometimes I feel the hardest option is always the best. But I just prayed. I rested COMPLETELY calm.
But the weired thing is, i feel i didnt do enough. I told them what they did is wrong. Yuck!!
They are so lost.
[quote author=Hizz_chiilld link=topic=6573.msg87111#msg87111 date=1210413642]
Whatever the situation, you're desire to 'slap them out of it' is out of disgust of their actions. It is most definitely not something we are required to do or even allowed to do - because it's not the loving thing to do.
Trying to redirect people in a loving truthful way is the only way to go. Prayer or behalf of them does satisfy this condition.
I agree. Slapping them even for me was the hardest option. I mean... i had no DESIRE to slap them... i felt it was what they needed. Instead, I was tired, and I just prayed for them. See what I mean??
Sometimes I feel the hardest option is always the best. But I just prayed. I rested COMPLETELY calm.
But the weired thing is, i feel i didnt do enough. I told them what they did is wrong. Yuck!!
They are so lost.
Do you see what I mean Hizz? The reason I wanted to slap them was because after I prayed for them, i felt i didnt do enough.
In my opinion, you responded in an ideal manner.
Just ask for God to work through you, you cannot change what happened, but you can control what will happen tomorrow. Pray that the Holy Spirit guides you, and you cannot go wrong!!
Let God's will be done.
The only way I can explain your guilty feelings is that you feel you should have done more.
In my opinion, you responded in an ideal manner.
I responded in an ideal manner because I am a professional Christian. It would be unprofessional of me to deviate from my code of conduct. But, i'm looking at implementing total quality management to see where improvements can be made.
I feel guilt too, many times, like i'm not doing enough, Like i'm denying Christ by not being more vocal with my testimony. I would like to share my experience:
I was on the bus the other day, and an elderly lady as she stood to get off said...."God told me to witness to you all that 'Jesus is coming soon!' And God bless you all on your travels!" What a great blessing, but everyone on the bus just stiffened up like she had slapped us! I had stood up with her to change my seat, and do not feel i showed enough support for her statement, i was depending on others to act and when no one else did i stiffened up also. I guess it was a shock to everyone,but Christ's return will be sudden and real and up in our faces and my reaction showed me i would not have been ready if he had come at that moment!
I think we do have to keep on learning and improving for optimal benefit.
But we cannot preach our beliefs without leading a life of good example and prayer for those less fortunate FIRST. That would be totally hypocritical.
[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=6573.msg87120#msg87120 date=1210418956]
I responded in an ideal manner because I am a professional Christian. It would be unprofessional of me to deviate from my code of conduct. But, i'm looking at implementing total quality management to see where improvements can be made.
LOL Christianity isn't a proffesion and has no 'code of conduct' (though that was really funny).
Christianity is love. That's all you can do to improve, love more. & with love come all other virtues. By love The Spirit guides us.
+God Bless.
I like where u r going QT_PA_2T.....I mean, what would Christos have done? Of course as Hizz_chiilld stated, we can't under-estimate the power of prayer!!! Still prayer without works is worthless. Jesus healed sickness and rebuked the devil and made the Devil flee!!! Shouldn't we be doing the same???
I feel guilt too, many times, like i'm not doing enough, Like i'm denying Christ by not being more vocal with my testimony. I would like to share my experience:
I was on the bus the other day, and an elderly lady as she stood to get off said...."God told me to witness to you all that 'Jesus is coming soon!' And God bless you all on your travels!" What a great blessing, but everyone on the bus just stiffened up like she had slapped us! I had stood up with her to change my seat, and do not feel i showed enough support for her statement, i was depending on others to act and when no one else did i stiffened up also. I guess it was a shock to everyone,but Christ's return will be sudden and real and up in our faces and my reaction showed me i would not have been ready if he had come at that moment!
I think we do have to keep on learning and improving for optimal benefit.
I honestly can't help but agree with you.
You know what's amazing is this: Imagine if that lady that got on that bus was someone famous.. like an ex-politician. Then others would have listened. Right?
I think this is why God chose Saint Paul. He was a jew and a Roman. He was well respected within his community. In paris, the catholic church, as a matter of fact its this weekend, has an entire week of Evangelisation. The youth of the Emmanuel Community go out in front of Notre Dame Cathedral and invite people they see around the Church inside and pray with them. But what's amazing is this. These youths, I know them VERY well. A lot of them are highly educated professionals who come from very noble backgrounds.
I agree with Hizz, we evangelise with love, and if we want to improve, we evangelise with more love. (TOTALLY SPOT ON!); but we evangelise. Its with love i can also tell someone what they've done is wrong. Praying silently isn't evangelising. Its a positive act.. but i feel its a cop-out to do something more active. Yes, of course, slapping them is totally wrong. We shouldnt do that.
For example... how much do i regret not having a voice at school when my schoolmates were doing immoral things. I don't think i'm alive just to eat, drink, take exams, and die. There's more to life than this, and I feel IT REALLY IS to tell others about Christ. For their own good. That HE loves them, and that He died for them, and that if they obey His commandments they will be saved. Living in immorality distances u from God... not only that, its destructive for the person.
Other than praying - what else have I done positive???
Hizz child's comment was that prayer IS powerful. OK.. i agree with that. But, so is action!!
Look. If someone i meet asks me for money, clothes, shelter, food etc, and all i do is pray for him saying to him: "God.. please give this man clothes, shelter, food, and all that he needs" - what good is my prayer???
I feel its just a politically correct excuse to actually serve someone sometimes.
Yes.. prayer IS powerful, but so is hypocrisy.. and the devil can really stop us from doing IMPORTANT and necessary acts. Saint James talks about faith without acts. What ACT then should we do??? Praying IS NOT an act. Everyone prays! Even those that don't believe in God, still look up to heaven and say "God help us" whenever they are in difficulty. What then have we done that's different if we have faith!???
That's where we disagree.
Prayer is obviously an 'act' as it is something that we DO.
So there is a time and place for prayer and action. God knows our needs and through prayer to HIM we find out what actions we need to take.
Our God is truely amazing!!! Matthew 6:1-4 explains an 'act of righteousness' as giving to the needy and how it should be accomplished in secret. Matthew 6:5-14 shows us how to pray and that it is best done in secret. Still, Matthew 5:13-14 tells us that Christians are the flavor and light of the world and should not be hidden.
So there is a time and place for prayer and action. God knows our needs and through prayer to HIM we find out what actions we need to take.
Right on sista!
THe act of righteousness is giving to the poor, visiting the sick, visiting someone in jail, giving alms. Prayer is talking to God.
Can I say to God, "but I didnt give to the poor, nor visit the sick, but I prayed for them".
What good is my prayer.
Some guy actually stole something from me once, and I said to him: "So, how can I have communion given that you've stolen it, and we both go to the same Church?" - He said "God be with you, and I'll pray for you". Lol... and he was totally serious. What prayer??
Look, i think in some circumstances - yes we can pray. What happened to me in Turkey - i think needed prayer as i was so scared to offend the lady's feelings. I didnt want to be blunt with her so as not to hurt her. So i prayed. But, seeing my friends at school do immoral things. I really should have explained that things are wrong. I mean, when the Bible says :"Blessed are you who suffer for righteousness sake" - then what is suffering for righteousness sake when i see something wrong and i do nothing?