Witnessing to those who are church members

[phillip]

It is most difficult to witness to church members, Protestant and Catholic, who think they are saved by church membership, confirmation, and/or baptism! The Pharisees, the conservatives of Jesus' day, complained against Jesus saying, "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." (Luke 15:2)

Self-righteous church members who are lost are harder to lead to the Lord than a hardened sinner who is in open rebellion against the Lord. The Pharisees were the lost church members of Jesus' day who sought to please God by keeping the deeds of the law! They did not understand what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 about being born-again! "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born-again, he cannot see t he kingdom of God."

[Adopted Son]

I believe you witness to these people every day. By your actions. And the very ones you worry about, are glad they are not like you. The equivalents today of the Pharisees feel superior and would have you behave more like they do.

God will have to soften their hearts for them to see through the appeal of their arrogant ways. We can only pray for them and live the life God wills for us. Nothing more. And that is hard.