Q&A Home > E > Evangelism

• Do you think it is important to speak to our protestant friends about orthodoxy and the Sacraments or should we just concentrate on the non-believers?
• I am in search of a church locally that is based on the teachings of the Holy Bible, as opposed to two millennia of man's subjective interpretation. I believe "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16); that is, if we seek Him, Jesus will lead us to the Holy Bible, I must tell you that I was excited at the thought of a church that lays claim to an original apostle's teaching, such as the Coptic Church.
• I am seeking your advice concerning the sensitive topic of introducing a friend to our church and its services.
• I have a friend that isn't sure about religion at all. She says that she was baptized as a catholic; however her family doesn't practice any religion at all right now. She is confused and doesn't know what to do. But the good thing is that she wants to do something and I can see that she is very serious about it. How can I help her?
• I have a non Christian friend with whom I discuss religion. This has widened my knowledge about my faith a lot; because I had to ask and study in order to answer his questions. Generally speaking, do you think it is worth the while to argue about and discuss religious matters?
• I have been blessed with opportunities to "preach the gospel" and to "reap the harvest." Right now I have been trying to persuade a former protestant, now Buddist, friend of mine to become a Christian. His heart is seeking, and God promised that he shall find. His BIGGEST, if not ONLY, problem with accepting Christ is his confusion between God's LOVE and God's WRATH (Hell). He cannot reconcile the two: A God who LOVES, and IS LOVE, and a God who will throw people into HELL. Do you know of any book(s) reconciling Love and Wrath, that would be helpful in our quest for the Truth?
• Is there some way to overcome Protestant's rejections to the sacraments of the early Church so that they can be brought into fellowship with Orthodoxy? Is there some way to get the Orthodox faith to open up and see that the Lord Jesus Christ was more about love than law? Is there a way to integrate Protestant passion in songs and diligent Bible study with Orthodoxy's passion for maintaining the faith delivered once and for all?
• I'm trying to introduce the Coptic Orthodox Christianity to my manager. He’s questioning the existence of God; because he cannot subject it to scientific reasoning.
  1. Is there a certain Study Bible that you would recommend?
  2. What chapters of the Holy Bible are best to begin at (especially for non believers)?
  3. Are there any other books Your Grace would recommend?
• I've recently been reading spiritual books, besides the Holy Bible of course. The ones that have really spiked my interest and zeal for God are the books on evangelism. As much as I love the Coptic Church, I have noticed that we do not put as much emphasis as some other churches, namely the protestant churches, on the Great Commission. Of course, considering the persecution of the Copts in Egypt, it's very understandable why our culture as Coptic Orthodox Christians is not centered on evangelism as are other churches in the U.S. What I have learned through my readings is that many believe that we as Christians have a duty to bring others to Christ, to the point where it should be our main priority in life, next to building our relationships with God. Is this a correct view on evangelism, or if not, what is your personal opinion on the amount of time and effort one should spend evangelizing? Of course, God plays the biggest role in revealing himself to others, but what is the extent of our roles as Christians in the evangelizing process? I am very willing to share the Gospel with others and to "create disciples" as our Lord commanded the apostles to do, but I need some direction from our church teachings in order to do so in the correct manner.
• My philosophy teacher doesn't believe in God at all. He is still young and therefore has the chance to go back and repent. Is it my duty to talk to him and try to convince him to believe in God fulfilling our Lord’s command that we should go and preach to the whole world?
• On talking to my non-Christian friend about religion, his argument was how can he accept a religion that does not accept him. Of course, he knows that he cannot marry a Copt because of that matter. I want to draw him to Christianity in any possible way. What do you think I should do or say to him?
• People who have been blessed with smooth, easy lives here on earth have a hard time desiring Heaven. They become so very much attached to this world and all that is in it. How is it possible to get such people more interested in Heaven and their spiritual lives?
• Since it is essential to win souls to the kingdom of God; apart from setting a good example, how can one help someone get to know God first, and then grow in the knowledge of Him? Too many people think spiritual life is boring.
• There is a woman psychiatrist at our clinic who is a non-practicing Muslim, but labels herself as Muslim. She is very nice and always comes to me and tells me how good my Christian religion is. Today I opened the subject with her and asked her if she ever thought about becoming Christian since she is not a practicing Muslim? She laughed and said that there is a lot of hypocrisy in Islam, but believes in the good God, etc. I asked her if she would be offended if I gave her a Holy Bible for Christmas and she replied that she would accept any gift from me. It seems like she is open but maybe reluctant because of her family. She is married but has no children. She has many marital problems and is thinking about divorcing her husband as he does not even live in the same state as she does. I am not condoning divorce, but if she divorced her husband, she may be more free to practice Christianity. I don’t know what is the wise way to approach this, especially since her brother is a fanatical Muslim. She asked me today why do Ibelieve in Christianity?” I told her that a person has to have a personal relationship with God---that although a person may sin, the only One who could accept you is God and He accepted all of us by giving us the Free Gift—Salvation. I encouraged her to pray to God that He may reveal Himself to her. She has asked me many times to have lunch/dinner with her but I declined due to her belief, but now, should I get close to her as a friend and encourage Christianity with the time I spend with her? Are there any books Your Grace may recommend that I may give her that may open her eyes to Christianity?
• Today, at school, my friend asked me if I was saved. She further explained that if I weren’t, then she would be the one responsible, before God, to save me. What is she talking about?
• What are some effective ways to lead people into a closer relationship with the Lord? How were the disciples successful in their evangelism?