God would never do that

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Nap66

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I talked to a priest the other day and told him that God had put it on my heart to bring a certain person to him. The priest immediately said “oh no, no God would never do that. God doesn’t expect you to make other people believe in him.” Then I thought, then why did Jesus tell his disciples to go out and convert/bring people to him? What’s the deal?

Basically the priest told me that we have to sit back and wait for people to come to God as they watch us in our lives. Well now that might be a fine approach if the person God wanted me to bring to him was in my life every second of the day and by osmosis the transformation would happen. However, I would have to actively search out this person and make an effort to bring him to God, since I see him rarely if at all. So I say again, what’s the deal?

Seems if every Catholic listened to what the priest told me there would be no missionaries or evangelizers. Just sit back and wait for it to happen. But even Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t sit back as a carpenter and live a good life and then all the people around him said “oh, he must know something about God that I don’t.” No, he went out and roped in people to God.

For me I’ll listen to what God told me.
 
Maybe the priest was concerned that you might think God required you to get this person to convert.
Or maybe the priest was worried about you perhaps being too pushy.
Evangelizing a little is fine if you feel called to do it, but the conversions “stick” better when the person makes a free choice to do it and isn’t pushed into it.
I don’t think it would hurt to reach out to somebody and at least put the idea in their head. If they make it clear they don’t want to hear any more about it right now, then don’t push, but at least you planted the seed.
 
How would you go about bringing this person to God? Do you have a plan?
 
Did you tell the priest the reason you wanted to bring this person to him?
 
Maybe he meant that if God told you to convert a particular person but you end up failing because they refuse then you may end up believing you failed God which i don’t think would be the case. I can imagine it would be depressing to go around thinking you failed and/or are disappointing God.
 
Stephen_says said:
How would you go about bringing this person to God? Do you have a plan?
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No plan. I simply went to him and told him that God said “believe” and that things would change in his life as they did in mine when I came back to God (this man’s life is now spiraling downward and I am one of his only friends left). This person told me and God to go to hell. So I walked away and left it with God. I guess I was looking for outside confirmation that what I did was right even though it failed (at least for now). But in my heart I know it was right so I should probably stop thinking about it.
 
Benadam said:
Did you tell the priest the reason you wanted to bring this person to him?
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I didn’t want to bring this person to the priest. God told me to bring this person to God. I told this to the priest.
 
Xystus said:
I can imagine it would be depressing to go around thinking you failed and/or are disappointing God.
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I thought about that, that I was disappointing God because it failed (for now). But God only asked me to try and I did. I know God smiled when I tried and will take it from there. Whatever happens, who knows. But if this person ever does start believing in God I know it is a miracle from on high.
 
Nap66 said:
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Stephen_says:
How would you go about bringing this person to God? Do you have a plan?
Click to expand...
No plan. I simply went to him and told him that God said “believe” and that things would change in his life as they did in mine when I came back to God (this man’s life is now spiraling downward and I am one of his only friends left). This person told me and God to go to hell. So I walked away and left it with God. I guess I was looking for outside confirmation that what I did was right even though it failed (at least for now). But in my heart I know it was right so I should probably stop thinking about it.
Click to expand...
Well, maybe the priest was correct then. Your friend was not going to respond to the way you approached him. But he may have responded to the “new you.” He may have seen the difference in you, and eventually wanted it for himself and asked you what you did. Instead, you kind of hit him over the head with it.

“Preach the gospel. When necessary, use words.”
 
Nap66 said:
No plan. I simply went to him and told him that God said “believe” and that things would change in his life as they did in mine when I came back to God (this man’s life is now spiraling downward and I am one of his only friends left). This person told me and God to go to hell. So I walked away and left it with God. I guess I was looking for outside confirmation that what I did was right even though it failed (at least for now). But in my heart I know it was right so I should probably stop thinking about it.
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You never know what effect you will have on other people. Maybe you planted a seed that will grow in the future.
 
Thank you for clarifying. I should have read more carefully. Ok I get it now though. Well, If you really were trying to ‘make’ someone believe in God I have to agree with the priest. A person on the down will often reject any help that makes them feel pitied.

Telling someone who might be in denial about needing others that you are sent by God to save them, might also be a bit to humbling for them to be ok with. Even if true.

Besides if it is true then pray for this person and wait for God to provide the circumstance for it to happen.
 
Nap66 said:
But if this person ever does start believing in God I know it is a miracle from on high.
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Hey, you never know. He could repent on his deathbed. He could have a smidgen of belief in God right now but just be too proud to admit it.
It’s good to put these ideas in people’s heads.
 
Irishmom2 said:
Instead, you kind of hit him over the head with it.
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I said one word “believe” and one sentence after that. Hardly hitting him over the head with it. I have not talked to him or seen him since. He knows how to reach me if he needs to, he will not until something major happens in his life, I know that.
 
Benadam said:
Besides if it is true then pray for this person and wait for God to provide the circumstance for it to happen.
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Done and done. Still, if God tells you to do something, you don’t just sit back and say “nah, you do it God, it’s too hard and he’s not going to listen anyway.” You have to take some initial ACTION. The initial action was taken, I told him what God told me to tell him. Done. I didn’t preach the bible for four hours, I didn’t drag him to church with me. I said one word. Still people are saying I did too much and shouldn’t have even done that because unbelievers are offended by any word of God. Maybe people should be offended at times (Jesus certainly offended people).

A seed was planted. I know that. Without my one word, nothing will grow in the future. Evangelization is proper in the church, especially when God tells you to do it.
 
Nap66 said:
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Irishmom2:
Instead, you kind of hit him over the head with it.
Click to expand...
I said one word “believe” and one sentence after that. Hardly hitting him over the head with it. I have not talked to him or seen him since. He knows how to reach me if he needs to, he will not until something major happens in his life, I know that.
Click to expand...
Well that isn’t what you said earlier, and I am going by that. I can think of at least one person I know that if I went up to them and said what you said, they would have the same reaction. That is not how I try to lead them to God. I try to bring them to God by my example.
 
nap66,Whether or not it was good or bad to do, you seem like a very decent person. I’m more concerned for you because of how firmly you believe it was God that told you. What makes you so sure?
 
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Benadam said:
I’m more concerned for you because of how firmly you believe it was God that told you. What makes you so sure?
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Many, many things have happened to me out of the blue in the past six months steering me to know that it is God talking to me. Of course if I laid it out here people would think I’m insane, so I keep it to myself (PM me if you are interested to hear the whole sordid story). Suffice it to say I have no doubts whatsoever what God is telling me. I did my duty for God and he now has it in his hands. What happens now I do not know and may never ever know, and that is perfectly fine.

But I was thinking last night that maybe the world is so messed up now and so many people are unbelievers because everyone is so afraid of “offending” someone else. I see it in the church all the time. Can’t say certain things because someone may not believe what you believe. Well God just wants us to believe in him, how is that offensive? Apparently it is and so now we can’t even talk about the existence of God with nonbelievers, yet nonbelievers have every right to tell us holy-rollers where to go, in the name of science. As De_Maria said upstream:

You might want to remind the priest that the Church is calling us to evangelize:
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/
 
Update.

He texted me yesterday talking about his business failing. I prayed to God how I should respond. God said answer as God once answered me when I was at my lowest point. So I said “If you ever need anything just ask.” That’s how God answered me, God told me “I’ve always been here for you, all you had to do was ask.”

I expect no response from him, if ever. But I leave it to God.
 
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