Help - What should I do when most of my siblings are atheist?

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

There's a question I'd like to ask to everyone who is reading this. It doesn't matter whether you have siblings or not or if they are Christian or not.

My question:
How should I deal with my other siblings of whom most are atheist?

They blaspheme God and His Word and ask silly questions and make fun of my beliefs in a very mean way almost on a daily basis.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jogoldie]

Answer: prayer and patience...this is all you can do...leave it in Gods hands ......step back...being
made fun of....being tormented ...is nothing compared to not being saved...this bold choice you have
made will serve you well....following Jesus and living in faith will prove itself throughout your life....
when they grow up and witness what your life will become...maybe then they will come to God..
you will build a family on your own...blood or not...
it will be full of love and acceptance...and mostly the mighty love of God.....pray for them to open their hearts to
His love...see what God can do.....and then you can focus on your walk with God ...then all will work out..because
that is His promise to us......peace..jo

 

[PennEd]

There's a question I'd like to ask to everyone who is reading this. It doesn't matter whether you have siblings or not or if they are Christian or not.

My question:
How should I deal with my other siblings of whom most are atheist?

They blaspheme God and His Word and ask silly questions and make fun of my beliefs in a very mean way almost on a daily basis.

Thanks in advance!

Show them Jesus shining out of you. If you show them love, and grace, EVEN in the face of abuse toward you, some will WANT what you have.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

Answer: prayer and patience...this is all you can do...leave it in Gods hands ......step back...being
made fun of....being tormented ...is nothing compared to not being saved...this bold choice you have
made will serve you well....following Jesus and living in faith will prove itself throughout your life....
when they grow up and witness what your life will become...maybe then they will come to God..
you will build a family on your own...blood or not...
it will be full of love and acceptance...and mostly the mighty love of God.....pray for them to open their hearts to
His love...see what God can do.....and then you can focus on your walk with God ...then all will work out..because
that is His promise to us......peace..jo

Thank you Jo. I'm not complaining about it but rather see it as a good thing to be hated in this world, because I'm not of this world but of and in Christ. So that comforts me. I will keep praying for them and for me I'll keep this verse in my mind and prayers:
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:16

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

Show them Jesus shining out of you. If you show them love, and grace, EVEN in the face of abuse toward you, some will WANT what you have.

I try to do that, as our Lord has commanded us to do. Love thy enemy. Thanks!

 

[MarcR]

I try to do that, as our Lord has commanded us to do. Love thy enemy. Thanks!

It is important to remember that YOU CAN'T DO THAT! Jesus can do that through you if you prayerfully seek His active involvement. Remember that Jesus wants them saved as much as or more than you do! Also remember that He is far more able to do something about it than you are

 

[blondieindahouse]

There's a question I'd like to ask to everyone who is reading this. It doesn't matter whether you have siblings or not or if they are Christian or not.

My question:
How should I deal with my other siblings of whom most are atheist?

They blaspheme God and His Word and ask silly questions and make fun of my beliefs in a very mean way almost on a daily basis.

Thanks in advance!

Step back and pray that God do whatever it takes in their lives to save them! You have planted. Let God water how he sees fit.

When I say step back: I mean step away from them.
Spend very little time with them but when you do; be kind .

 

[psalm6819]

God bless you. I'm sorry that they are unkind. Really all you can do is pray for them and be an example. ( I know that is easier said than done) What they see of Jesus in you will make a difference. Is there a church near you? It will be a great help for you to find believers your age for companionship. Hold on because the day will come that your sibs will be thanking you for standing strong for Christ and leading them to thier Savior.

 

[Galahad]

Talk to them? Not as a group, but individually. Try to get to the root of the issue. Why would they do that to you? Perhaps speak to any who is the culprit, the instigator.

Calmly leave the room at their disrespect.

Eventually, you may find that a family gathering will be for you a short visit. That is, when they start their foolish insults, you may just say more by excusing yourself from that gathering altogether. An early exit.

Sorry to hear your family is as such as you describe. Will pray for you.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

It is important to remember that YOU CAN'T DO THAT! Jesus can do that through you if you prayerfully seek His active involvement. Remember that Jesus wants them saved as much as or more than you do! Also remember that He is far more able to do something about it than you are

I know what you mean and that's exactly the way I think about it too. Not I, not my flesh, but the Holy Spirit of God that is within me, will do this. I agree. Thanks for your reply, Marc.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

God bless you. I'm sorry that they are unkind. Really all you can do is pray for them and be an example. ( I know that is easier said than done) What they see of Jesus in you will make a difference. Is there a church near you? It will be a great help for you to find believers your age for companionship. Hold on because the day will come that your sibs will be thanking you for standing strong for Christ and leading them to thier Savior.

There are no young people in the congregation where I go to and in fact I know no one (besides two of my siblings who are Christians) my age who is Christian. Most Christians I know are age 50, 60 and beyond and the youngest I know is in his mid 30s. I do get support from them though, it would be nice if I knew some Christians of my age (in real life). I will continue to pray and show the example to them and keep hoping. Thanks for your reply! God bless.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

Talk to them? Not as a group, but individually. Try to get to the root of the issue. Why would they do that to you? Perhaps speak to any who is the culprit, the instigator.

Calmly leave the room at their disrespect.

Eventually, you may find that a family gathering will be for you a short visit. That is, when they start their foolish insults, you may just say more by excusing yourself from that gathering altogether. An early exit.

Sorry to hear your family is as such as you describe. Will pray for you.

I try to talk to them but obviously it hasn't helped (yet). They start talking about evolution and other faiths and they view me as an ignorant person supposedly not believing in science (the evolution THEORY is viewed as a scientific fact, like all natural laws we have). When I come up with some verse of the Bible they immediately refute it by giving these worldly scientific answers..So when they laugh, most times I just ignore them and say nothing, like Jesus did. I even hear them say lies about me and they themselves know it's not true but I just don't care anymore at times to respond to it. It's not like we are constantly 'attacking' each other but it happens on a daily basis, even today. That creates tensions and I can feel it..it's just not fun anymore. Thanks for praying for me, Galahad. God bless you.

 

[KennethC]

All we can do as soldiers for Christ is plant and water the seed and pray that God will provide the increase in their heart.

I myself have a big heart and do not wish to see any perish as well, and therefore leads me by the Spirit to keep repeating and repeating the sound doctrine of Christ. We have to step back eventually and let them continue to wallow in their ways, as we must dust our feet off and keep moving as there are others that need His guidance as well.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

All we can do as soldiers for Christ is plant and water the seed and pray that God will provide the increase in their heart.

I myself have a big heart and do not wish to see any perish as well, and therefore leads me by the Spirit to keep repeating and repeating the sound doctrine of Christ. We have to step back eventually and let them continue to wallow in their ways, as we must dust our feet off and keep moving as there are others that need His guidance as well.

I agree, we as Christians can give water but it's God that makes it grow, right?. I hope one day they will seek the light and come out of their ignorance. Yesterday, one of my brothers said to me he doesn't believe the God of the Bible has made the universe. "No," he said, "I just think that we are in a computer game created by some aliens." Then I said, "Well, who created the aliens then, how did they get there?" He replied and said, "They are god." I was thinking like...That's almost the same as the Christian belief about the origins of life: God created the heavens and the earth and especially humans to love and serve him (which can be compared with some sort of test to see whether or not you'll accept His free gift of grace, salvation, i.e. a 'video game', right?). He doesn't accept the Christian God being the creator of everything and yet, he says he believes there are aliens who are god and we are in a 'video game'. This might sound weird but that's what he actually believes, he was very serious about it. I left then. Thanks, Kenneth.

 

[KennethC]

I agree, we as Christians can give water but it's God that makes it grow, right?. I hope one day they will seek the light and come out of their ignorance. Yesterday, one of my brothers said to me he doesn't believe the God of the Bible has made the universe. "No," he said, "I just think that we are in a computer game created by some aliens." Then I said, "Well, who created the aliens then, how did they get there?" He replied and said, "They are god." I was thinking like...That's almost the same as the Christian belief about the origins of life: God created the heavens and the earth and especially humans to love and serve him (which can be compared with some sort of test to see whether or not you'll accept His free gift of grace, salvation, i.e. a 'video game', right?). He doesn't accept the Christian God being the creator of everything and yet, he says he believes there are aliens who are god and we are in a 'video game'. This might sound weird but that's what he actually believes, he was very serious about it. I left then. Thanks, Kenneth.

The sad reality is that we have some branches of churches now days that pretty much believe the same.

As like the Mormons who believe they can eventually become gods themselves and are placed in charge of their own planet as god over it. I have met and seen some testimonies of some that have left that faith of Mormonism because after they worked their way up in the ranks they heard this nonsense and left that church.

We even have branches on here and in the world that call themselves Christians, but deny or teach that we can deny to follow His teachings in the gospel books. They teach a gospel of disobedience and tell others that even if you are disobedient you still will get salvation even though the bible clearly teaches that disobedience will lead to eternal death not eternal life.

 

[inge]

Hi neighbor I would try to go out of their way, and keep my rest. Next to that there are probably some things that still "work" like playing soccer together focus on that, keep the positive things in mind.

Try to deal with your faith also in a relaxed way. Sometimes talking about it works the wrong way. People in general like to make jokes about all kind of things but between siblings or youth this can happen even more. From their point of perspective you are crazy. It might help to also cultivate that... like joking a a bit -humor makes it more relaxed (NOT blasphemy). For example when they say something like "I cannot believe that you can have faith in something you cannot see" you can answer something like "yeah I can imagine, but that makes more sense to me than being mutated from apes". So... use humor. Especially when you found Jesus and started to believe in Christ recently it can be hard to deal with for non believer friends and family because they can feel as if they sort of "lost you". As if you start to live on a totally different planet.

For back up and support you might also check summercamps or meetings and things for youth in Belgium. That might help in feeling not alone. Also something like a student group for christian students might be meeting near where you live. Let me know if you need help searching.

 

[Angela53510]

Pray, be a silent and a verbal witness if God opens doors, and have patience.

I started praying for my family when I got saved 35 years ago. My father came to Christ 32 years later, 5 months before he died. My mom about the same time.

But my sister - I have shared the gospel repeatedly with her and her husband. They even ask me questions. But hard hearts! And some New Age occult mixed in there with their syncretistic beliefs, really confusing them.

So I keep on praying that God will bring other people into her life, who will witness. She won't listen to me anymore.

Praying that God will comfort you as you stand firm for Jesus, and that this siblings will at least stop mocking you, and maybe begin to explore the concept of God existing.

Finally, you might want to get some books on apologetics to read yourself. There are lots of answers, in science, to these things atheists put forward. I have the names of some good books, let me know if you want the titles.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

The sad reality is that we have some branches of churches now days that pretty much believe the same.

As like the Mormons who believe they can eventually become gods themselves and are placed in charge of their own planet as god over it. I have met and seen some testimonies of some that have left that faith of Mormonism because after they worked their way up in the ranks they heard this nonsense and left that church.

We even have branches on here and in the world that call themselves Christians, but deny or teach that we can deny to follow His teachings in the gospel books. They teach a gospel of disobedience and tell others that even if you are disobedient you still will get salvation even though the bible clearly teaches that disobedience will lead to eternal death not eternal life.

You are completely right about that, brother. It only proves the prophecies about the latter days the more! "Even if an angel came from heaven and brings another gospel than ours, HE IS DAMNED"!!! *a bell goes ringing*

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

Hi neighbor I would try to go out of their way, and keep my rest. Next to that there are probably some things that still "work" like playing soccer together focus on that, keep the positive things in mind.

Try to deal with your faith also in a relaxed way. Sometimes talking about it works the wrong way. People in general like to make jokes about all kind of things but between siblings or youth this can happen even more. From their point of perspective you are crazy. It might help to also cultivate that... like joking a a bit -humor makes it more relaxed (NOT blasphemy). For example when they say something like "I cannot believe that you can have faith in something you cannot see" you can answer something like "yeah I can imagine, but that makes more sense to me than being mutated from apes". So... use humor. Especially when you found Jesus and started to believe in Christ recently it can be hard to deal with for non believer friends and family because they can feel as if they sort of "lost you". As if you start to live on a totally different planet.

For back up and support you might also check summercamps or meetings and things for youth in Belgium. That might help in feeling not alone. Also something like a student group for christian students might be meeting near where you live. Let me know if you need help searching.

Thanks Inge for your response. Oh and hello to you too, neighbor I feel weird speaking English but hey this is an English thread and web site and others might be interested in reading this as well, so..Yes, I try to remain as calm as possible and make such comments such as you have suggested and sometimes I even use the words that the healed blind man used: One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see. I might not know everything about how REAL science works, evolution is merely a THEORY but "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see".

Some even mocked in the beginning when I got baptized and said I wouldn't stay a Christian longer than 1 or 2 years. And look what the Lord has been able to do, He is still working in me daily and I'm 3 years a Christian now. I don't hear them talking about what they stated earlier..But oh well.

I have never been in a Christian youth group because - no offense though, but - most of these churches that do this in Belgium are lukewarm and just plain boring and hollow. It would feel the same as if I would join the scouts or something like that. I'm not against going on camp with other Christians but I just don't have the feeling that this is what I'm looking for right now.

It could be nice, though. I just don't know how to get involved and I'm just not sure whether I would go there all by myself as some kind of loner. Thanks again Inge for your response, appreciated it. If you like, you can add me and we can have private conversations in Dutch.

 

[Brother_J_BELGIUM]

Pray, be a silent and a verbal witness if God opens doors, and have patience.

I started praying for my family when I got saved 35 years ago. My father came to Christ 32 years later, 5 months before he died. My mom about the same time.

But my sister - I have shared the gospel repeatedly with her and her husband. They even ask me questions. But hard hearts! And some New Age occult mixed in there with their syncretistic beliefs, really confusing them.

So I keep on praying that God will bring other people into her life, who will witness. She won't listen to me anymore.

Praying that God will comfort you as you stand firm for Jesus, and that this siblings will at least stop mocking you, and maybe begin to explore the concept of God existing.

Finally, you might want to get some books on apologetics to read yourself. There are lots of answers, in science, to these things atheists put forward. I have the names of some good books, let me know if you want the titles.

Thanks for sharing, Angela! I agree - prayer is a powerful tool for a Christian who truly seeks the Lord. I think the Bible says something about that. I do have answers, from web sites such as Answers in Genesis (amazing web site) and I have recently read a book about science and the Bible. I'm not doubting God's Word on creation, I just believe it. That it can be scientifically proved, I know, I just might not understand everything but to me that's not necessary. It's just interesting to know how creation does have a scientific basis. God bless.