I am not a good evangelist

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thomasf

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The thread I created about my protestant customer, and some experiences I had today have made me realize I am not a good evangelist. On another board I frequent there was some discussion about the vatican documents released about the fullness of the faith. They all had it wrong, and were ripping on the church so I stepped in to defend. Eventually the discussion led to a very atheistic member to start debating belief in God period. And he refused to listen to anything I had to say, discounting me because I was posting from ‘beliefs’ and not facts. I got very angry and just backed away because of this. I am just not good with taking rude, angry, closed minded arguments from people and trying to speak the Word of God to them.

So instead, I told him I’d pray for him and that even his hardened heart will work for the glory of God somehow, and backed away. I figure that’s better than arguing and getting into a shouting match with him.
 
It’s always better to back off than to lose your temper and undo anything you may have accomplished, or wanted to accomplish. Most of the time in that situation, you are dealing with someone who has issues, they are angry and have no interest in an honest, truthful debate anyway, they are only looking to take you down!

Don’t be too discouraged. It takes a long time to gain all the knowledge and facts you need, and then the confidence to do battle with them! You’ll get there - as you persevere in the faith! :knight2:
 
Don’t be a wimp. Take a lesson from St. Stephen and say what NEEDS TO BE SAID. Anger is not a sin, it’s a gift, use it. If they stone you, they stone you. But at least you’ll go down with your eyes fixed on God and not like a dog with your tail between your legs. There is no way to talk about religion without preaching—we are supposed to PREACH. Jesus’ entire ministry was about PREACHING. If you’re not inspired to preach with holy words then preach with holy silence. If you’re afraid of looking like a fool ask Jesus why he looks so foolish hanging there on the cross.
 
There’s a real difference between preaching and debating. Preaching is a one way conversation, debate isn’t. In a debate, you have to know your facts and be prepared to talk to people who think they do, but don’t. People who like to debate Catholics very rarely stick to true Catholic doctrine, they like to drag you throughout 2000 years worth of history, they come prepared pulling obsure tidbits - writings from here and there - and you’re supposed to know where they’ve gotten their information, a great deal of it is purely bogus, but you have to be prepared nonetheless to discern fact from fiction. It’s not a task for the impulsive who are full of zeal and not much more.🤷
 
This wasn’t preaching, it was turning into an argument, one that was driving me very angry and to be both uncharitable and unchristian. The person was being very rude and wouldn’t accept anything I had to say about religion without making fun of it. Which is why I walked away. We are to evangelize in words and actions. What kind of example of a christian would I set being angry and arguing?
 
My friend is an awesome evangelist. He does it without words and without saying a thing. He was evangelizing and he didn’t even know it. This is how he did it… All he did was keep a rosary in his pocket to pray with when he was alone. He didn’t even realize that often he would pick it up in front of others and play with it in his hand. Often, non catholics and catholics would begin talking to him about their faith. The catholics who were “luke warm” starting filling the pews at mass. The non-catholics became more peaceful. One thing that he always said to me was… “Some people help reap while others sow (the seeds of faith)”. Man he sowed a lot of seeds. I’m not much of a reaper either.
 
I used to think the same of myself. Then I realized it’s not about winning the discussion. You never know how your words & actions are effecting others, so always live your Faith and speak the Truth when need be.

I have found recently that I have effected a few unknowingly. My sister in law is in the inquiry class this summer and will go on to RCIA in the fall. I take no credit other then emptyiing myself, so the Holy Spirit could speak through me on our past discussions.

I have found that sticking to basic teachings of the Catholic Church is the easiest way to evangelize. Don’t beat a dead horse, say your peace and move on. Many times you are not going to get someone to say you are right, right then and there. You just plant the seed and leave it to the Holy Spirit to water.

Read your Bible & Catechism, learn your Faith and live it. When and if your time comes to evangelize, you will then be ready.
 
I ended up taking some time to cool off and settle down, and address the situation in a calm manner. Once I cooled off and thought about the situation, I was able to think clearly about things and go back and offer a good defense of the faith. And I think it flustered the person I was talking with that I was able to back things up. Although I doubt it will make any difference in this person’s thoughts and beliefs, or in his heart. He’s pretty stubborn. But it was important for me to defend my faith and be a witness. Thanks for all the advice.
 
thomasf said:
I ended up taking some time to cool off and settle down, and address the situation in a calm manner. Once I cooled off and thought about the situation, I was able to think clearly about things and go back and offer a good defense of the faith. And I think it flustered the person I was talking with that I was able to back things up. Although I doubt it will make any difference in this person’s thoughts and beliefs, or in his heart. He’s pretty stubborn. But it was important for me to defend my faith and be a witness. Thanks for all the advice.
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Fantastic! Sometimes you just need a sounding board to sort things out. You’ve found a great place here to do that. I’ve found that bouncing things around on this forum has helped me a lot over the last year in dealing with problem situations and people. And often it turns out that the simplest solution is the best solution. 👍
 
thomasf said:
The thread I created about my protestant customer, and some experiences I had today have made me realize I am not a good evangelist.
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Though we confirmed catholics possess the same gifts from the Holy Spirit, we are not called to use all of them equally. Some of us are meant to do the praying, some, the speaking, some the service, and we are each graced with the gifts we need to fulfill our calling.

Some are called to single life, others to marriage, and still others to the priesthood. Some priests are called to pastor, others to pray, others to administration duties.

Some married couples are called to parent their own children, others to parent to others’ children or through adoption.

It’s ok to not be an apologist or evangelist through our words. So long as you live the faith in your personal life, true to God’s word, you are evangelizing in that manner. The way you conduct your business is a strong evangelization and apologetic message.

You will know it your time to start speaking out about the faith when the Spirit moves you in such a manner that you couldn’t keep your mouth shut if you tried. Be patient. The fact that you desire to speak out tells me you are being prepped for such a moment. In the meantime, continue praying for guidance from the Spirit. Read up or listen to Catholic motivational materials and allow the Lord to guide you.

Reflect upon 1 Corinthians 12:1-11:
  • 1* Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
    *3 *Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
    4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
    5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
    6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
    7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
    8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
    9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
    10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
    11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
 
Thomas,

I can really relate to your posts. I found myself reading posts that were in response to articles about the L.A. Archdiocese sex abuse cases. Initially, I was dumbfounded by all the anti-Catholic statements. I mean some of those people were vilifying everything Catholic. It hurt me deeply when I realized just how many people out there in the world have such a deep hatred toward Catholics, Catholicism, the Pope, priests, bishops, etc. I was very angry. Something compelled me to respond. I was afraid I didn’t know enough about my faith to respond correctly to everything they were saying. I wasn’t deterred. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not because I fear I may not have defended our beliefs well. At any rate, when I realized that I was so angry, I stopped and prayed that I could say what I felt needed to be said out of faith and love instead of anger. I worked hard at not attacking people personally no matter how ugly they were to me. I reread my posts before I submitted. I did not back down. Amazingly, before I left the forum, some of the people who had been the ugliest to me, actually changed their tunes, calmed down and stated that, while they didn’t necessarily agree with me, they respected the way I presented myself and my beliefs.

I figured that even though I am not the best or most proficient at teaching our faith, I am obligated to not allow people to get away with some of the blatant lies they tell about Catholicism without correcting their errors to the best of my ability. I certainly am learning alot about how to respond by reading this site. We have great information delivered in concise, easy to understand language available right here at our fingertips.

Remember, your initial feelings of anger might be just the motivation you need to keep learning more and more about your faith. Fight the good fight. Take the high road. God bless.
 
thomasf said:
The thread I created about my protestant customer, and some experiences I had today have made me realize I am not a good evangelist.
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That’s right, and you never will be. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is an EXCELLENT evangelist. 😃

It took me a long time to realize I can’t evangelize, either. I always worked around to an argument, and I’m way too passionate to shut my mouth at the right time. It wasn’t until recently that I had the epiphany (at an ACTS retreat, go if you find one near you) that I was trying to control the situation, and felt that if I could only get the other person to just listen, I could convince them. I finally realized that I have no control, and it is the Spirit that leads. Turn it over to Him, and pray that He work through you if that’s His will.

Don’t forget that while you may not have turned this atheist, through you God might have reached out to untold numbers of people who were reading your conversation. Keep trying, keep praying, and KEEP THE FAITH!!!
 
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