Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

1
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Other faiths and ideologies to be discussed in
this series will include Cultural
Christianity Agnostics/Humanists Wicca
Universalism New Age/Hindu Judaism Jehovahs
Witness Mormonism Buddhism Islam
2
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Today, we will explore
• New Age/Hindu
• Judaism

3
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
We must be prayerful in sharing the gospelwe
MUST NOT depend on our own strength, but on the
power of the Holy Spirit I am not ashamed of
the gospel for it is the power of salvation
Rom 116 But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my
witnesses Acts 18
4
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Essentials
• We have all done wrong in Gods eyesRom323
• This wrong doing separates us from God
  foreverRom 623
• God sent His Son Jesus to take our punishmentRom
  58

5
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Essentials
• Turn away from doing wrong as a way of lifeActs
  238
• Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lordbelieve in
  your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
  will be saved. Rom 109

6
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
The main thing to remember in sharing your
faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, you have
to SHARE the plan of salvation
7
You were shown these things so that you might
know that the Lord is God besides him there is
no other. Deuteronomy 435
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
in you I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel
3626
8
If they reject the message, DO NoT STOP being
their friend or loving them
9
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• New Age/Hindu

10
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• New Age and Hinduism is very pervasive in our
  culture today and is creeping into many
  evangelical churchs theology

11

• Hinduism
• Worldwide-est.
• 820 million India w/over 780 million adherents
• US-est.
• at least 1.5 million

12
Data from 2004 from www.pluralism.org
13
Hinduism began about 2000 B.C. with no single
founder and is the most diverse (understatement!)
of all major world religions.
14
Hindu temple near Spartanburg, SC
15
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Hindus are polytheistic,
• (the belief of many gods.)
• In fact, there are over 330 million gods within
  Hinduism.
• They are also pantheistic,
• (the belief that everything is divine.)

16
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Major beliefs include The world is an illusion
and the goal of humanity is to free the soul from
rebirth, (reincarnation) and to be absorbed into
the ultimate principle called Brahman.
17
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
A chief concept in Hindu thought is karmathe
idea that deeds, thoughts, and actions have an
impact on ones future fate. In Hinduism, there
is positive karma and negative karma.
18
Hindus believe in reincarnationan endless
repetition or cycles of creationthey believe
their karma determines your next stage of
lifehigher level of species, such as a cow or a
rat Have you ever heard the term, Holy cow?
This is where it is derived!
19
Hindus have no concept of rebellion against a
Holy Godignorance of unity with Brahman, desire
and violation of dharma (ones social duty) are
the roots to humanitys problems!
20
In Hinduism, their belief in astrology, evil
spirits, and curses also prevails. Doesnt this
sound familiar?
21
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Yoga and meditation, especially raja-yoga is one
way to achieve total final self-realization of
the truth, (moksha).
22
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Hindu sects include
• Hare Krishna
• Transcendential Meditation, (TM)

23
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Witnessing to Hindus.
• DONT
• Criticize or condemn Hinduism
• Argue or debate
• Use extraction evangelism
• Speak quickly on hell or that Jesus is the only
  way

24
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Witnessing to Hindus.
• DONT
• Force Christian ideas into passages of Hindu
  thought, (blend theologies)

25
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Witnessing to Hindus.
• DO
• Work into your life points of contactcommonality
  such as humility.
• Empathize
• Know about their beliefs
• Be quick to acknowledge failure, (were are not
  perfect!)

26
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• DO
• Center on Christ
• Be quick to acknowledge mystery of God, deep
  mysteries of God that we cannot fathom
• Share your testimony what forgiveness and grace
  means to you. Keep it short!

27
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Hinduism is the hardest people to evangelize as
they may quickly convert but not reallydo not
be too quick to get the prize as they will now
have 330,000,001 gods now
28
Be ready to give an answer but DO NOT be too
quick to believe they are saved!! This would be
so detrimental to them!
29
There have been many trips to India to share the
gospel to areas with a high concentration of
Hindus reports of many people coming to Christ
on these trips
30
Unfortunately, many of these converts have not
come to a true knowledge of Godit sometimes
takes years for this to happen!
31
They are so engrained in their Hindu culture of
such things as reincarnation you cannot talk
about being born again they will not understand
the concept!
32
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
New Age is very similar to Hinduism but has some
added ingredientscombines occultic practices,
self-help, holistic medicines, and forms of
astrology.
33
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• New Age and Hinduism is very pervasive in our
  culture today and has crept into many evangelical
  churchs theology

34
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vpwGLNbiw1gk http//
www.youtube.com/watch?v2FhqBsyCxao
35
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• New Age Assumptions
• PantheistGod is all and All is God
• MonismAll is One
• Reincarnationyou will be reborn again!
• You are God and must discover your god-ness
• Good and evil do not exist therefore no
  absolutes in morality

36
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Yoga is both New Age and Hindu and should not be
practiced by Christiansone of the mantras of
yoga is the repetition of oooommmm which means,
I am God It also is a form of trying to find
oneself through clearing of the mind
37
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Asheville has been recognized
• CBS TV Special
• Rolling Stone Magazine
• New York Times
• USA Today
• as being the New Age mecca

38
One writer wrote about her experience coming to
Asheville I felt it about 20 miles (outside) of
Ashevilleits a feeling of lightness and love
that seeems to permeate the physical bodyI felt
like crying like I had come home
39
Many New Agers believe the city of Asheville is
located in the midst of intersecting vortexes,
creating an energy source for connecting with the
cosmos. Testimonials talk of a supernatural draw
to Asheville, and once people are here, they have
no problem finding others of like faith.
40
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Witnessing to New Agers Use similar techniques
as with Hindu, but also engage them in their
beliefs and philosophy such thing as there is
no such thing as right or wrong
41
Many New Agers take offense with the exclusive
gospel message that faith is Jesus Christ is the
only way of salvation. They claim that there is
no right or wrong way to God that we are wrong to
claim that there is
42
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Ask If ther is no right or wrong way to God
then how can ou claim that our gospel is wrong?
Lovingly point out that their position is
illogical because it contradicts itself.
43
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Trust in the Holy Spirit to convict Hindus and
New Agers of their need for Jesus. Do not get
frustrated if you do not see immediate results.
Tell about the difference that God makes in your
life.
44
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
In Asheville area, there are over 300 known
adherents to Wicca and brag of having several
covens however, these are very vocal in their
practice and occasionally makes the news
headlines
45
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Judaism

46

• Judaism Background and Data
• Jewish Population
• World 13.1 million
• Israel 5.3 million
• US 5.3 million, (26,000 in N.C.)
• 72 of Jews are affiliated with synagogue, but
  only 10 attend regularly
• Tend to be both socially and politically liberal
  in their views.

47
Many are involved in secularism, new age, even
Buddhism. Israel, for example are mostly
comprised of atheists and agnostics.
48
Three Principal Branches Orthodox (Traditional)
interprets Torah more literally with the Modern
and Hasidim offshoots The Hasidim have the
Habad they are the ones who wear the black suits
and wear the yarmulke (skull cap).
49
Three Principal Branches Conservative Largest
in the US they are conservative in religion
only, not politics Reform embrace modernity,
liberalism, humanism, feminist, homosexuality,
agnostic sees the Hebrew Scripture as folklore.
50
Holocaust The challenge to speaking with Jews is
the question, Where was God during the
Holocaust? Many lost their faith in God due to
the Holocaust
51

• Judaism Background and Data
• Key Emphasis
• One God, (Shema... Deut. 64-5)
• Believe in Biblical creation, but not the fall of
  man
• No concept of need to be regenerated

52

• Judaism Background and Data
• Holidays and Festivals
• The Sabbath
• Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year
• Yom Kippur Day of Atonement
• Hannukah 8 day Festival

53

• Judaism Background and Data
• Holidays and Festivals
• Purim celebration of the salvation of the Jews
  during days of Queen Esther
• Passover
• Pentecost harvest festival celebrating the
  giving of the law to Moses

54

• Make friends
• Be up front
• Ask Questions
• Use Scripture
• Be Prayerful
• Ask for a decision and follow-up

55
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Most are hostile to Christianity, especially
efforts to evangelize to themask questions to
make connections dont be argumentative.
56
When witnessing to Jewish people about Jesus it
is important to stress that they do not need to
give up their identity as Jews in order to
embrace Jesus as Messiah. (excerpt from On
Witnessing to Jews by David Brickner)
57
Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Above all, again, rely on the power of the Holy
Spirit to guide you and to change the heart of
the person you are speaking Remember, God is in
the business of miraclestrust Him