I need a bit of help getting over my fear (afraid to tell others I'm Christian)?

Question

Hi guys. I'm 18 (male) and this question might be a bit awkward but hey, that's one of the advantages of being behind a computer: you can get over that feeling real fast lol. Anyway, right to the question.

I'll get to the point. I'm a Christian (Charismatic Christian). I sometimes hear of how Christians will be persecuted for their beliefs and how sometimes, telling someone you're Christian can lead to people not wanting to be friends with and or making fun of you (not exactly the definition of persecution but you get what I'm trying to say).

I remember learning in youth service not to make friends with unbelievers and that sometimes Christians can't get along with unbelievers not due to a fault of their own but because unbelievers will naturally be repelled from a Christian and not want to be friends because of the different natures of their souls.

We could make friends with unbelievers if our intent was to lead them to Christ eventually and that Christ would hold us responsible for their blood (which is strange because some years later, the pastor the adult service said something like by unbelievers, the bible means those who were in Christ but don't act like it and not the other people in the world. I don't remember quite clearly but basically, he used 1 Corinthians 5: 9-11, which I can't put here because this question already long enough. Sorry).
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Long story short, I'm now a bit paranoid. I feel a bit scared to let people know that I'm Christian. That and the fact that I'm pretty much a foreigner here in the U.S.A. Okay so maybe I've been here for about 6 years now, but I haven't made that many American friends. I'm not exactly a social butterfly. I know the people in my country are totally okay with it. In fact, it's all over and quite dominant. I became Christian about 2 years after coming here (in one of our Church's branches here in the U.S.A.)

Like I said, I'm not exactly extroverted so I hadn't made many (if any) American friends by the time I became a Christian so I wasn't and still am not sure how people here react to Christianity (although I've heard it's positive but I'm still a bit scared). Couple the fear I feel around unbelievers sometimes with the fact that I'm a foreigner and add that to the fact that I'm a bit self conscious about my accent means I'm pretty much not too comfortable with anyone who isn't Christian and from my country or continent. I can talk to other people but on a more superficial level.

When I'm talking to other people and they ask me stuff like "What kind of music do you listen to?" I panic and either try to avoid the question or just say "Instrumentals" (at that time, I listened strictly to only Christian music and a few instrumentals to use as an excuse if I was asked what I listened too but now I include music like that of "Explosions in the Sky" and some other types of music like "Bloc Party" and "Kodaline - All I Want" after watching a video by Jeff Bethke on YouTube).

I recall ignoring someone a distance away in a noisy room during my sophomore year of high school, who asked me what music I listened too and I just put my head back into my books, pretending I didn't hear him, even after he repeatedly called my name afterward.
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That or anything else that has to do with me being a Christian like going to Church or not doing certain stuff like not drinking (Christian or not, I'm staying far away from that stuff. Tasted a bit once just for the heck of it and let's just say, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I break that vow). Anyway, I need help getting over my fear. I've made a bit of progress after a couple of situations turned out a bit differently than I expected but I still need some more help.

How do I calm down and not be so afraid about letting people know I'm Christian? And please no "You are ashamed of Christ" answers. Peter was forgiven by Christ Himself when He resurrected after denying Him 3 times. Thank you very much for your help and sorry for the essay.

Answer 1

I have been a Christian for 30+ years …my best friends are Christian but I have several friends who are atheist Muslim Jewish Mormon and agnostic. They know where I stand …I know where they stand. My question is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Do you know where you stand.

You mention Peter and his denials (which were 6 not 3 by the way) …but what changed Peter from being ashamed to standing up in the temple at Jerusalem and boldly declaring Gods word ….?

Something changed Peter could it have been Pentecost …Speaking in tongues …you stated you were charismatic ….that to me includes speaking in tongues ..right!

The world has tried to degrade ridicule and dismantle Christianity … in effort to push them into a closet.

You have something the world needs LIGHT and Life ….eternal life. You have to quit focusing on yourself and start focusing on giving …because what you have others in this world need and the only way to give that is to open your mouth and speak ….

Answer 2

Remember that we don't seek approval from the world, and we're called to pursue our nonchristian neighbors for relationship in order to witness to them.



Pray that the Lord would make you bold in your witness. We are only beggars trying to lead others to bread!



I'm also somewhat introverted and I've found that a deep understanding of the gospel helps a lot. Also pray that the Lord would deepen your understanding of His Grace towards His Children. If you are a Christian, He Loved you from before He laid the foundations of the earth (Eph 1:3-4)! Even though we're sinners and desperately wicked, He still Loves us. He sees the depths of our hearts and loves us the same! Remember why Jesus had to suffer His Passion: the Father poured out His Wrath (Righteous anger) on the Son (Jesus) in place of pouring it out on us. You see, whether you're a Christian or not, you (and I, and every other human that has ever existed, or will exist) have sinned against God. If you think it's not a big deal, ask yourself how many times you've lied, or looked with lust at another person you weren't married to. You deserve punishment from God for this (Genesis 18:25). And the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). But instead of giving us what we deserve, God decided to give Jesus that punishment instead (Romans 5:8)! And because of this, the Father has no more wrath for us anymore.



Hopefully this unpacks the Gospel a bit more for you. Christianity IS the Gospel, there's nothing else in the faith. Pray that the Lord would grant you a deep desire to spend time in the Word as much as possible!



Also begin listening to a theologically sound Bible teacher or Pastor, Paul Washer is a great one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXOWyjB7d24



A lot of his sermons are on youtube.



Others like John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Piper (a fellow charismatic!) are also pretty sound.



Lastly, you need to get into some good fellowship with some more seasoned Christian brothers to whom you can confess sin and be encouraged by. Hopefully your church has a good group of believers your age who are really seeking the Lord more than you.



I will keep you in prayer, message me if you wanna unpack this more.

Answer 3

The more you and Christians on whole allow this fear to affect you into silence the greater this persecution will be, ironically enough. Be proud of what you believe, otherwise why believe in it? Remember what Christ said about those who will not acknowledge him before men.



If people want to look down on you for what you believe, then that is THEIR problem, so don't let THEIR prejudices cause YOU to be ashamed, since by doing that you are basically only conceding that you do indeed have something to be ashamed of about. YOU DON'T.



By being open about what you believe, ESPECIALLY toward those who you feel are most apt to judge you negatively for it, this only provides an opportunity for you to be a positive light and representative of the faith, so that people can see just who Christians really are rather than the caricature that is portrayed of them, and perhaps then they might see the love of Christ emanate from your own self. As it is said, "To thine own self be true," -- and how much more important is it that we are true with others before God?



The disciples were commanded not just to profess publicly their faith, but to go out and spread the good news, and the persecution they received I imagine is miniscule in comparison to what you could expect from simply letting it be known that you are a believer. Christ himself died for you, after all, and a horrible, wretched, and painful torturous death at that. So if you have any appreciation at all for this (as is the pinnacle of the faith), then the least you can do is to let it be known your appreciation for this.



And why be ashamed, anyway? -- Are Christians not still the overwhelming MAJORITY? So it's not like you're the oddball.



And hey, if you find that people are going to judge you unfairly based simply upon finding out that you are in fact a Christian, then are these the kind of friends you would really want to have?

Answer 4

Jesus was a friend of sinners; it was the Pharisees He clashed with over and over. The idea behind not being friends with unbelievers is the fear that you will become like them. You can and should befriend unbelievers, and NOT just to proselytize them, but to be their friend because you like them and they like you. What you must not do is to share in any sin with which they may be involved.



Most people will not shun you because you're a Christian. Some might, but I find it to be unusual. They'll run like crazy if you start with the witnessing spiel the youth pastor possibly taught you. At an Assembly of God church I once attended, they actually handed out a two-page typewritten sales pitch and told us we ought to memorize it and use it to witness to people -- just recite it word for word. :eye roll: I hope no one ever actually DID that! You don't have to walk up to someone and say, "Hi! I'm Gunnar and I'm a Christian. Do you have a problem with that?" Just be yourself and don't keep it a secret. If the subject comes up (and it will, in some form) then say where you stand.



Example: "Thanks for inviting me to this pub -- this is a great place.

"Glad you like it. Hey, let me buy you a beer -- they have a great micro-brew here . . ."

"No, I don't drink alcohol, but I'd love to have an Italian soda."

"What? No alcohol?"

"Nah. I'm under-age, and I'm a Christian, so I don't want to break the law. Besides I might get you in trouble if you bought a beer for me."



That kind of thing. It doesn't have to be some big, awkward announcement. Most people really don't care. But let them get into a sensitive situation, and you are often the person they'll come to for help or advice. So be ready -- don't neglect your spiritual life. You need to be able to give an answer for the hope that is in you.



Regarding your shyness because you're a foreigner -- just so you know, most Americans are crazy about foreigners as long as they're friendly. We love to know about your home, your life, your customs, your fashions -- everything. And we especially LOVE your accent. So don't let that hold you back. Get out there and make some friends.



Blessings, Cindy

Answer 5

To answer your question very broadly and simply, you should make friends with whoever you feel comfortable with regardless of thier or your beliefs.

true friends will not ask or judge what you believe in as long as you do not try and impose your beliefs on others.

It is very important to form your own opinions and not just follow the words of your Pastor.

You may not need to specifically disclose that you are a Christian, just that you learn to accept or discard people who you do not get along with.

Answer 6

Short Answer: Get over it. Who cares if you're condemned? One day you will be exalted and those who condemned you will be condemned themselves. You are only being condemned for a human lifetime. They will be condemned eternally. You will be laughed at and called names; they will burn forever.



Now here's a longer answer.



As I said, just get over it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm open about my faith and people respect me for it. Just be careful not to force your beliefs onto others.





"I sometimes hear of how Christians will be persecuted for their beliefs"

John 15: 18 English Standard Version- "18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. "



This means you may be condemned for your Christianity, but remember that the Son was condemned first, and what happened to him; he was raised from the dead and even ascended to Heaven. You are not alone; be condemned and one day you will be rewarded.





I remember learning in youth service not to make friends with unbelievers and that sometimes Christians can't get along with unbelievers not due to a fault of their own but because unbelievers will naturally be repelled from a Christian and not want to be friends because of the different natures of their souls.



Absolutely do not follow this. Go and make friends with unbelievers. Jesus didn't walk around with kings and queens. He spent his time helping prostitutes and thieves. Make friends with people regardless of what you believe. Different natures of souls don't mean anything. When you get together with friends you tell jokes and play games, not worship.





We could make friends with unbelievers if our intent was to lead them to Christ eventually and that Christ would hold us responsible for their blood



Yes, make friends with unbelievers. Try to lead them to Christ. If they refuse, don't force it onto them, let them be, but continue being their friend; don't drop them just because they refused. Move on and keep doing whatever it was that made you friends.





When I'm talking to other people and they ask me stuff like "What kind of music do you listen to?" I panic and either try to avoid the question or just say "Instrumentals" (at that time, I listened strictly to only Christian music and a few instrumentals to use as an excuse if I was asked what I listened too but now I include music like that of "Explosions in the Sky" and some other types of music like "Bloc Party" and "Kodaline - All I Want" after watching a video by Jeff Bethke on YouTube).



You should give Metal or Rock a try. You can be listen to Metal and still be a christian. There are many christian metal bands like As I Lay Dying and Sacrificium.





That or anything else that has to do with me being a Christian like going to Church or not doing certain stuff like not drinking (Christian or not, I'm staying far away from that stuff. Tasted a bit once just for the heck of it and let's just say, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I break that vow). Anyway, I need help getting over my fear. I've made a bit of progress after a couple of situations turned out a bit differently than I expected but I still need some more help.



Like I said before, just don't be ashamed of what you believe. Keep a bold faith and one day you will be rewarded. Hopefully you will find others like you.

Answer 7

I have friends who are Hindu, Buddhist, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, ect.

We don't talk about religion cause its a personal thing and irrelevent to our friendship.

Its nobodies business what you believe and your friends shouldn't care as long as you don't constantly talk about it or waste their time trying to convert them.

If they ask what I believe I tell them flat out that I think religion is the most evil vile destructive thing invented by man, they usually don't bring it up again, except for Frank, Frank is a lot of fun to debate with, he's a solid Christian.

Answer 8

Listen up here, lil boy. You are going listen to your heart and your beliefs. If people don't like that about you, then they aren't worth it.



Your heart and beliefs is you. It's what's inside of the 'you' that you are. Because you are you and you are no one else so if anyone judges you, say "Then you're a poo poo head who isn't worth my attention. Sorry." and walk away like a Christian boss.



You better be yourself at all times because if you aren't, then you will become someone else, and Christian bosses do not do that. Seeing as if you are a Christian.



REMEMBER:





Listen to One Direction - Gotta Be You (if you don't know where to find it, go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search the channel OneDirectionVEVO or search One Direction - Gotta Be You)



Be yourself



Always listen to your heart



Be a Christian boss



fook everyone else

Answer 9

you just have to be open and honest with people even if they will not like you



were to please god not to please men



we want to belong and get along with every one

we can't let that how ever cause us to deny who we are as a christian

we have to be willing to confess christ openly to others or we will not be saved



jesus ells us we can not remain silent



Luke 12:8-9



Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Faith



8 “I tell you, if you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I[a] will say that you belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will say that you do not belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels.



just trust god to help and be with you



Matthew 10:27-29



Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)



27 I tell you all this secretly,[a] but I want you to tell it publicly.[b] Whatever I tell you privately,[c] you should shout for everyone to hear.[d]



28 “Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. 29 When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without your Father knowing it.

Answer 10

G man, there is a super cool "secret prayer".



That gives you courage.



That gives you strength.



And it works.



Invest five minutes, right now.



And, your problems are over.

Answer 11

I'm sure there are non-Christians out there who will accept you. I have friends of all different beliefs. If they can't accept you they don't deserve you. Just don't proselytize your religion.

Answer 12

PLEASE grow up, wake up and evolve already. Gods don't exist. They are made up, imaginary, wishful thinking, nonexistent, religious fairy tale creatures, concocted in the bronze age or before, when humans didn't have the science, technology or knowledge to explain things properly. The big bang and evolution weren't discovered yet, when people made up all those god fairy tales to explain things.



Now we know that we came from the big bang and evolution, not some retarded, imaginary god or gods!!

I repeat- you need to grow up, wake up and evolve already and come out of the bronze age. Gods don't exist.



★ People made-up god stories in the past to explain things because they didn't have the science, technology or knowledge back then to explain things properly.... That explains all of religion and gods in one sentence! ★

Answer 13

Claiming you believe in a bunch of bronze age supernatural nonsense can make a person appear,,,well,,,not so bright. better claim to be an atheist, and you will receive more respect from your peers

Answer 14

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



Matthew 5:11 and 12

Answer 15

It is OK to be persecuted for the Name of our Lord and Savior. He told us from the start, If any one will follow me let him carry his cross and follow me. The Lord suffered for us first. It is honor to accept the shedding of our blood for Him who accepted the shedding of His blood for us first

Answer 16

Of course we are not mindless people ,

Thanks for the question , the easiest of the day , if not waaayyy too long ,...

WWJD

Answer 17

considering the awesome and majestic work of our God upon the cross, how can anyone be afraid or embarrassed to declare Him? the Lord Jesus said to those who were listening, the more people you tell about Me, the more angels I'll tell about you.



now think about that kind of clout. and remember the one who bows before their Maker can stand against anyone else.

Answer 18

Stop worrying what others think.

Answer 19

Believe in what you believe in, Don't be a huge pussy about it..