Obvious vs. Obnoxious

[dannibear]

Many of my friends know that I am a follower of Jesus.
They come to this conclusion because they either:
a. Saw me read my Bible, put it in my backpack, take it out
of my backpack, or seen me holding it.

b. Notice that I mention Jesus in a conversation of
ours, but nothing too serious.
Ex.) 'No, I didn't go to that party because he/she
was bringing alcohol and I know Jesus wouldn't
want me to be a part of that.

c.) Pray with others in my school who are comfortable
with doing so or who ask me.

But sometimes I feel it isn't enough. I know my actions
speak for themselves, but many of my friends still
say things around me that I am not comfortable with,
or try to get me to go somewhere I know for certain
would not go over well with my Heavenly Father.
Are there better ways to deal with these situations?
Any advice, especially teens with experience, I would love
to hear. Thank you for taking the time to read my
dilemma.

 

[dannibear]

Sorry if I didn't make the last part clear...
The uncomfortable things that I am talking
about are along the lines of
a. Sexual jokes, talking about their sexual relationships,
talking about their same sex partner and things they
did 'last night.'

b.Drugs, drinking, smoking, telling me
why marijuana is not bad. (which is bologna).

c. Talking about how they wish they could kill
a certain person or how much they hate someone.

No matter how much I tell them I believe in Jesus
and no matter how many times I walk away, they
just don't get the hint. If I flat out say, 'Look...
I don't want to talk about those things, they offend me',
then they will do what they do when someone does
something like that in my school...be mean and spread
rumors. I feel stuck in an inevitable situation.

 

[dannibear]

anyone? :whistle-animated:

 

[David777]

It depends.

Being a real, nice person does not mean you will be excluded from your friends. If you push Jesus Christ then the seperation will occur, even persecution.

This is a complex area, we are to be gentle and cunning. So i tend to avoid the in your face approach with the Gospel. I have found that i become an alien if i use this approach. When i am on the outside i cannot transfer any info about Jesus to others.

At work they know i am a Christian, i was not subtle, so i paid the price. In time i made friends at work but had to endure the persecution. If i had to repeat this exercise i would be more subtle and clever in my approach and not alienate myself too quickly.

The sexual jokes, drugs, alcohol, gossip, etc, are all part of the fabric of the world. We do not follow them in this flood of misbehaviour. Though you can be crafty in how you deal with your friends.

 

[dannibear]

Okie dokie, I can see where your coming from.

 

[WantToKnowHim]

I think that being away with others who are doing things against God's will is a part of being a Christian...

I do experienced the same way where they call me weird and "not in" because I am doing what I think was right. And then time came when I join them shortly. It is not fun at all..It was living like without guidance.

And now, I am trying to correct the imprints..

In that problem you have, I want to cheer you up, for God said:


11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(Matthew 5:11-12)

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

This is not one of those things we can study for but some scripture to keep in mind.

Titus 1:15 Everything is clean to those who are clean, but nothing is clean to those who are corrupt and unbelieving. Indeed, their very way of thinking and their consciences have been corrupted.

If you find yourself in an awkward situation and it's not practical to
to leave or if you don't want to appear "stuck up",then you don't need to corrupted by corrupt conversation.I usually counter the assault in my mind by praying for the person who offended.

Jesus told us to bless our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us.So how much more should we pray for acquaintances that are blind.

With my armor I sometimes have to put on sewer galoshes and wade into the sewage to do God's work.

1 Cor. 9:19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
1 Cor. 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
1 Cor. 9:21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
1 Cor. 9:22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

Though you can be crafty in how you deal with your friends.

Exactly:
Prov. 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Prov. 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

You really have to be saturated in word and Spirit and trust the Holy Spirit to give you what to say.The word says "taste and see the Lord is good",I try not to get upset with people who haven't tasted yet.
I also want my encounter to be in good taste.

 

[dannibear]

This is why I love asking my hard question on
here. All of you have great illustrative examples!
I could not have said it better myself.

Thank you everyone. ^-^