sound condecending?

i was talking with my sister as she told me that when she was talking to my step mom, my step mom told my sister that when i was talking to my step mom and Christ and worrying if peole in our family is going to hell, she got very offended and said that i sounded like i was being condecending. but when i was talking to her my motives were out of nothing but love and they don't see it but i do. they aren't bad people, apart from the fact that everyone sins, i mean the world would call them really good people.... not like sexually TV hanna montana barak obama good, but good like the 90s good family good. like where the parents do a good job on raising the kids.... well that is the type of good they are.

anyways... on with what i was saying, i dont know where any of their hearts are with JEsus and sometimes i wonder though if any of them really care. we are traditionaly lutherns (although i am wanting them to go to an AOG church....) and luthers are really closed up with their thoughts about God. and we hardly every talk about God in the house and when i try to they might listen but usually it is "the rapture stuff" and it is almost like they are glad i'm excited about this but it is like they aren't excited their selfs. yes i am excited, this is Jesus coming in our lifetime or our generation or shortly there after.... if we are close enough... but it is like they dont want to hear it. and i want to preach and talk and minister and write songs for God and evangelize but i worry if i would have the "i'm better than you sound" comeing from me... i haven't been baptised from the HOly Spirt yet to my knowledge (i can't speek tounges or prophecy, speaking what God wants me to say like yeah.... i know the diffence between predictive, i'm sure i wont predict anything directly from God but yeah...) so most of the stuff comes from my mind and the motives are from my heart. i have kinda been praying for HIS word and to be able to be ready spiritually and everything so that HE can just use my physical mouth to talk to people through me.... but i dont think i am pure enough.

i wonder if i sound condecending because i havn't been baptised yet or if it is just the way i use my words. maybe it is because my spirt isn't pure enough because i keep sinning. i mean not like just cussing sinning but like my old bad bad sins that i would rather not say here. i'll tell you in heaven when everything is fine. but i just dont know. maybe sense i am somtimes an idiot and it is almost like when i do that sin it is almost like i am taking advantage of forgiveness and then that leaks over to when i try to talk to people about God.

Dear rreighe,

Perhaps you haven't gotten the humility part down as well as you should have it down before you start trying to take the beam out of another's eye.

She is one of the person's in charge of you while you are still a minor, you owe her a high degree of respect. Replay the conversation you had with her in your mind and see if it reflects that respect. While you are listening to yourself, do you hear genuine love in your voice and the words you used?

If you really want to help her, look to cleaning up your own soul and behavior first. Then by your new attitude and actions your family will see the difference Jesus made in your life. Pray for Him to shape your life, to train you in self discipline and bathe yourself in the Word. You can not offend anyone if you are studying God's word. Shun worldly past times and soak up the Word. Be patient and wait for God to groom you into the man He wants you to become. Do not become discouraged only trust in Him.

Praying for you,
white stone

white stone;

thanks for the advice. but the conversation happened so long ago that i dont even remember it too well. but yeah i will try to re run it again tonight when i am tired and not so busy.

Jesus-is-God;
thanks for the help... yeah i have a problem with that because i tend to do that; make things pop out on my own.

I thought I would share something of a similar note from my own life.
In my early conversion and walk with Lord, I could say there was a lot of excitement and a lot of zeal. I felt compelled to share the gospel and share it boldy. Try and squeeze in the gospel whenever possible. Bluntly stand against the idol worship and other sins that I used to see in my dear ones.
God did see the intentions of my heart and I am sure God had put all this within the overall purpose, however often the actual reality was that people where getting offended.
Now I used to tell my self that, that is obviously the persecution talked about.

But today, I think I have moved into a little more rest in this area. I have realized that God loves them more than I do, so I can cradle my small burden in the assurance of His love reaching out towards them.
I realize that convicting people and touching the innermost being is the work of the Holy Spirit and not mine. It is not the words I use that matter, but the Holy Spirits working.

I have begun to realize that as I focus on being whole hearted in my following Jesus ... in my thought life, in my hidden life, in my words, I start to raise up Jesus through my very life.
I start to pray that I be tought how to love these dear ones as Jesus loves them. My focus fixes on following Jesus and loving the people God has placed in my life.
Then God himself provides opportunity for me to share the gospel and I share it over a normal conversation and if He does not give an opportuntiy I am still OK.
Like with the Smaritian woman, Jesus went with the conversation and God gave an opportunity.
Or like Zaccheaus, where nothing overtly spiritual was spoken, and yet a dinner invitation turned to repentance.

So I would like to encourage you to focus on the faithfulness in the hidden life and loving your loved ones. God will lead us on and touch their hearts as we lift Jesus up in our hidden life.

Joh 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself.

hey i understand yall, the only book i can realy read about God is the bible (and left behind but that really is maily just a fictional story that is a christian book. i dont have a whole lot of money to spend on books and this and that. but i really appreciate it and the offer.

rreighe,

I can tell you from personal experience, that I have been called out as being "self-righteous", "pious", "holier than thou", and outright arrogant.

Perhaps these are true, but after sharing the Gospel with my sister this past week, it hit me. Those that are not saved, are offended by the Gospel. This may sound elementary, but if God has opened our eyes to something that he has not opened someone else's eyes to, they may feel as if we are arrogant.

I know that the root of Anti-Sematism is that many don't understand why God would choose Israel, but not anyone else. God's sovreign election can be seen as arrogant to some, where as I see it as grace.

Maybe this example will help: A town of 7,000 is hit by a tornado and 100 people die. Most people generally think of this as a tragedy and wonder why God would allow 100 people to die. The problem with this way of thinking is that these people who are blaming God have neglected to praise God for saving the lives of 6,900 people. Would it be arrogant for those 6,900 to boast about the new life they have?

Now, this isn't to say that arrogance is not an issue. I may be arrogant. I know I am arrogant. But, I hae found, that often times, those who accuse me of arrogance are closed off to the truth of the Gospel.

I would encourage you to examine yourself and seek God in prayer and in his Word about humility.

In Christ,
Ben