Day One:
One of my friends from college is doing an internship this summer in Dallas Texas with Texas Instruments (the calculator company). His roommate is an atheist and I remember my friend talking enthusiastically about the prospect of sharing his faith with his new roommate and fellow coworkers. After a couple of weeks on the job, this excitement waned to disappointment and confusion on how best to proceed. In my own hypocritical wisdom (it is hard to let things go when you really love someone) I explained to him that if his roommate/coworkers proceeded to mock his faith than it would be best to stop fueling their fire and stop sharing with them.
To back up my advice I would like to support it with three pieces of biblical evidence. The first comes from Acts chapter 19. When Paul was at Ephesus he experienced mocking from the Jews while he was speaking in the synagogue. Verse 9 says, “But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.” The second piece of evidence comes for Proverbs. Proverbs 26:4 says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” Essentially this means don’t dignify someone who is being foolish with a response if that response will lead to further argument. My third piece of evidence comes from the ministry of Christ. Did Jesus ever sit and hold extended debates with the religious leaders of his time? I think you can easily answer this question yourself.
Once again, I feel like I need to add a disclaimer here. When I say that sometimes the correct thing to do in a situation is to not share your faith this is what I DON’T mean. I DON’T mean that you should neglect sharing your faith even with the knowledge the other person will likely reject it. As Christians we have a calling from God to share the gospel with everyone. What I am saying is that when someone rejects the gospel you should move on and avoid beating the proverbial “dead horse”. Also, you must understand that when I speak about sharing your faith I am talking in the specific sense (verbally sharing). No matter the circumstance, you should always share your faith in the general sense by living the Christian life commanded to you. Now, go with God and be at peace.
-Kyle Bogner
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