Oh Lord, open his eyes and let him see!
That was Elisha's prayer in the story told in 2 Kings 6:8-23. We cannot force others to receive Christ when they are not ready. We can only pray for them and not be a stumbling block but help them in their journey as they encounter the living God the way He reveals Himself to them.
It's different with each person. Some people need tough love for them to see the truth, so I guess we need to pray for guidance and self control on how to deal with different kinds of people. Anything that brings glory to God will always work. I remember the true to life movie called machine gun preacher. He killed evil people to save the oppressed. Did God approve of his style? It's between God and him but I believe God was glorified in his life. God wants our loyalty to Him more than anything.
The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself. - St Augustine
That was Elisha's prayer in the story told in 2 Kings 6:8-23. We cannot force others to receive Christ when they are not ready. We can only pray for them and not be a stumbling block but help them in their journey as they encounter the living God the way He reveals Himself to them.
It's different with each person. Some people need tough love for them to see the truth, so I guess we need to pray for guidance and self control on how to deal with different kinds of people. Anything that brings glory to God will always work. I remember the true to life movie called machine gun preacher. He killed evil people to save the oppressed. Did God approve of his style? It's between God and him but I believe God was glorified in his life. God wants our loyalty to Him more than anything.
The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself. - St Augustine
That is exactly what Paul was nailed for on the Damascus Road when he was in the very process of hunting down Christians and killing them. Jesus even asked him, "Why are you persecuting me?" (Which he was doing by killing Jesus' followers.)