A: Dear friend, do not be discouraged! I know that it is tough to reach out to friends and introduce them to our Christian faith, but many have been in your boat and there are also many who have succeeded!
I think the most important thing to do at this point is twofold:
1. we have to pray for our friends - forcing them to come to fellowship or church activities are only going to help so much. We have to really lift them up to God and ask the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. After all, it is not us that have the capabilities to change them, but God Himself. So keep your friends in prayer and remember to trust that God will do what He needs to do in His time.Now, specifically about your friend that has her own thoughts about life. You mentioned about her believing that she has a first life and second life and this seems to be aligned with the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism. In order to evangelize, we cannot just impose our beliefs on others. We have to take the time to understand and love them. In the case of your friend, it's important to see where they are coming from and then address the issue from there. Remember that just as strongly as you hold onto your faith as a Christian, she may hold onto her own religion. We have to be sensitive and understanding, but also not waiver in the Truth we believe in.
2. we have to model it for our friends - in addition to praying for them, we have to model the Christlike life to them. You have to give them a reason to want to change, a reason to want to seek out who this Christian God us. If your life is nothing different then theirs, then they'll wonder why they need to change.
For more information about how to evangelize and specifically about Buddhists and Hindus, please go to here to see other Ask Us Answers.
[answered by Pastor KJT]
