shark6000 asks:
Matt Prine answers:
Where does it say that the angels were (are) perfect? Angels are not perfect... Only God (The Father, The Son, The Spirit) is Perfect (i.e. Hebrews 1:9) So, thats how evil and sin could pry it's way into the heart of one who was created to serve God... The being was imperfect and therefore able to partake of sin.
Lucifer challenged God because of his pride (Isaiah 14:12-13). Lucifer wanted to be the highest and most adored, worshipped, etc. He challenged God because he wanted to be God, and his pride made him think that he could actually do it...
peaceandlove96 asks:
Matt Prine answers:
Dealing with people who cuss and people who cause drama can prove to be a challenging task. Personally, I believe that you have to be careful about how you react and respond to such a person. The first thing that you must figure out is if this person is (or claims to be) a Christ Follower... If so, then you can respond to this through Biblical accountability. If you have established a good relationship with this person, and they will listen to what you have to say, you will be able to use Scripture that should convict them regarding what they are doing.
To address the cursing, you must determine what the Bible says about it. There is one place in the New Testament that uses the word "curse" meaning nearly what we mean when we say curse. It is Romans 3:14 and it says: "...whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." This is used when talking about humanity's unrighteousness in light of God's Holiness... Every other time that the word "curse" is used, it means "a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one."
What the question is referring to may more closely resemble the Greek word "aischrotēs" which literally translates as filthiness or obscenity. This word is also used one time in the New Testament... in Ephesians 5:4 it says this: "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."
That being said, if the person is a Christian, this verse should show them that the Lord does not want His people to speak with filthiness or obscenities. The Bible does not give us a list of words we can and cannot say, so many of the words that we deem as curse words are culturally defined that way.
As for the drama, unless the person is in theater, there should be minimal drama... if this person is causing drama that is becoming divisive within the body of Christ, then that is a dangerous game to play. In Proverbs 6:16-19 it says this: "there are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
This is a pretty serious charge... God tells us here that He hates "drama"... it is an abomination to Him.
once again, if your friend is a Christian, then these passages should show him/her that the type of behavior that they are displaying is not good in the eyes of the Lord.
Finally, if this person is NOT a Christ Follower, then none of this can really do anything for them. They must come to know HIM before they can be transformed by Him. In short, you cannot expect a non-believer to act like a believer. I would just live a life that is God honoring before this person, and pray for their redemption.
gatorgirl5 asks:
I just found out that one of my friends is Buddhist. What should I do? Should I stop being friends with her? I cant talk to her about God and stuff because I dont know her ALL that well. What should I do?
radiantfirst answers:
That's great that you found out what one of your friends believes. Just the fact that you know this means that you were willing to talk about spiritual issues....something that most teenagers are afraid to talk about because they might be seen as un-cool. I would definately not stop being her friend just because she is buddhist. You have a great opportunity to get to know her, pray for her and maybe eventually God will give you an opportunity to share the gospel with her. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Bad company corrupts good character." What this verse implies is that if you surround yourself with the wrong friends, than you yourself may be tempted to do what they do. Just because she is buddhist does not necessarily mean she is bad company. I would probably worry more about being friends with people that gossip and slander before I was concerned with what religion they were. This is viewed differently when it comes to marriage though. The bible says that we are to be "equally yoked" meaning we are only to marry people who are also are Christians and have the same desire to worship and serve God the Creator.
I used to work in a dorm in a college as a resident assistant. I made it a goal to talk with everyone on my wing about their faith and share the gospel if an opportunity presented itself. I knew that for this to happen I had to build trust and I had to build relationships with the guys on the wing. There were several people that didn't believe in anything, several who had other religions and a few that were Christians. As I begin to pray for the guys on this wing God begin to open up opportunities for me to talk with them about life issues and eventually spiritual issues. Some hindus on my wing were actually very curious about christianity and were open to talking with me about it because I made it clear what I believed. One thing I did was I made an effort to always approach these types of conversations as someone who is curious or ignorant. If I would have told them to be a Christian because that is the only way, they would probably not have listened to me. Taking the position of humility and asking questions about their religion makes it very non-threatening for both you and them.
As far as your question....here is what I would do
1. pray... pray for this girl daily that you or someone would be able to share the gospel with her
2. get to know her......be her friend and don't treat her any differently just because she is a different religion....being her friend will allow you to build trust to a degree where you can talk with her about anything....even spiritual issues
3. invite her to a non-threatening activity that we might do at church. LYF Fun night on Jan. 4th is a great opportunity to invite friends in a relaxed enviornment.
4. Don't give up....As long as you are friends with her I would keep on asking her questions, keep inving her to church and keep on praying for her.
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