Need Guidance Witnessing to a Reincarnationist

[Miss Daisy 599]

I've become good friends with a lady who lives down my street. I actually met her soulwinning one day just passing out a tract and an invitation for church. She was sitting outside on her porch, which made her easily approachable. The next day, she was sitting outside again and we talked again over many days, just chit chat. She knows church and my Christianity  is important to me. Today, she had  butterfly suncatcher on her window. I told her how much I love butterflies and how the represent salvation from being a disgusting worm to a beautiful butterfly.  I started asking about her religious upbringing and such, she said she was raised Baptist. I asked if she was saved and she said no. I asked if she was interested in being saved, etc. She told me she doesn't believe it anymore and believes in reincarnation, that we all just keep coming back again and again until we get it right. I just said that was really sad that was what she believed. She said the devil can't get me I'm getting cremated. I said yes, but your soul will still go to hell. She said that's ok, at least I know where I'm going. I replied wouldn't you rather go to heaven? Then she got off the something about the Bible is against women. I explained the hierarchy of God, man, then the women. We talked about that awhile. Eventually, I said "well I sure hope you will go to church with me sometime anyway", she replied she might.

I'm really stumped, I've never known someone who believed in reincarnation. Not sure how to respond. If she doesn't believe in God, should I still give her a Bible? I have no tracts dealing with reincarnation. I'll be praying for her and put her on prayer list at church. 

I usually see her about every day just to talk and friendship over coffee.  She's not going to be rude to me if I gave her another tract or something. I'm not going to be pushy with her, because I don't want to push her away.

Need guidance please!

[DaveW 4,115]

From your description, she doesn't believe in reincarnation but is using that as an excuse to "avoid God". I say that because she changed to "Hell is alright with her", and then changed the subject and led you away from presenting salvation through Christ.

A good lesson - don't let the other person control the direction of the conversation - no matter what they say, acknowledge it, then bring Christ into it again.

Remember:

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

Gove her a Bible, if she will take it, and try not to argue about side issues, as they only serve to distract

[Alan 3,493]

Reincarnation is originally from the Hindus in India. On Taiwan, most of the Buddhist religious sects, and the Taoist sects, have some sort of reincarnation tenets.

All of the various sects that believe in reincarnation differ in several respects. All of the various religious sects offer different aspects of reincarnation, when it occurs, how it occurs, why it occurs, and how the cycle of reincarnation ends. The study of reincarnation, and the symbols, and the ceremonies, and the type of reincarnation, is a very involved study.

Here is a Wikipedia article that gives you some basic beliefs of reincarnation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation

A true believer in reincarnation, and not like most causal believers here in America, usually have various religious  ceremonies, pictures in there homes of various Buddhist or Hindu symbols and religious observances that they would normally do.

If your friend does not claim a Buddhist or Hindu belief system, and if your friend does not have Eastern symbols or pictures on the walls of her house, than, quite frankly, she has just a passing, or an insincere, or a notion, that she believes in reincarnation. Like Dave said, she is just giving an excuse or she just kinda thinks it may happen.

If your friend continues to claim she is a true believer in reincarnation, I would suggest reading to her Luke 16:19-31 and let her know plainly that after death the soul either is in hell or in heaven. I do have a tract, in Chinese, that I use for Buddhists and it gives the story in enough detail so that a true believer in reincarnation knows that the belief is false. I do not specifically mention reincarnation due to space limitations in a tract, but the story speaks for itself. Here is a link to the English pdf copy of that tract.   http://taiwanvbc.com/john3.16&1corinthians15.1-6englishtheloveofgod.pdf

If your friend is a devout believer in reincarnation, and she gives you any Buddhist, or Hindu, material, let me know and I can help further in some of the terminology that they use.

May the Lord bless your efforts in reaching your friend for Christ.

 

[lance 3]

Do not give up on her. Ask her if you can come talk to her study with her in your KJV bible. Go from scripture to scripture with her until she understands the only way you have life after this life is through Christ in heaven. Because if she remains lost after she dies on earth she will have a second death on judgment day at the great white throne and cast into the lake of fire for ever and ever. Read to her the scripture in the bible about the rich man and Lazarus where the rich man was in the place of tournament and Lazarus was in Paradise. When the rich man asked Abraham to let Lazarus dip his finger in water and wet his mouth. But Abraham told him you had your richs on earth while Abraham layed at your gate begging for your crumbs from your plate. The dogs locked Lazarus sores until he died. Explain to her that rich man is still in the place of tournament until judgment day then cast into the eternal lake of fire. There is no us keep coming back to this life when we die until we get something right. This is it. Are lord gives us the choice for are next life to love him live for him obay his laws and go to heaven. Or just live in sin and go to hell. Explain to her god gave his son to die on the cross for are sins from a virgin and after he died on the cross he rose again after 3 days. are lord don't want to see anybody go to hell. The devil is hard at work on earth look how empty churchs are now the things on TV the way people love money more than people so sad list keeps going. I'm 37 and have not truly been saved even a year yet. When I was young my mom took me to church. She had to move away my grandma took me in teached me of are lord. But I'm ashamed to say took all these years for me to find god. I have kids and have them now in church but so ashamed its not been so so long ago. The devil is hear to try to blind us keep us away from the truth and are lord Jesus Christ! I'm saved now amen I then become a member of my Baptist church got baptized and what's so nice is like all them years ago me and my mom and kids go to church together to worship are lord together! Amen god is great all the glory to him. But yes put her on your prayer list at church I will pray for her as well. But out of anything you ever did or will do helping her find are lord and to be saved from a eternity in hell will may be the most important thing you ever do. There is a reason you and her met and had this conversation. Explain to her god loves us all man or woman and Christ is the head of man and man the head of woman but god loves us all the same. But she really is lost if I was you I would not give up I would try to help her find God. that would be amazing. And as well this is my first time ever on a site like this I'm so happy now I'm saved I just want to talk about are lord with everyone talk about the gospel with everyone Amen all glory to god!

[Miss Daisy 599]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

[Miss Daisy 599]

Good news to report. She and I discovered we both like to color. I like coloring the journal/ art coloring Bibles and she like to color the very detailed coloring books. So for Christmas I got her a journaling/ coloring Bible. She seemed to really like it. She lets me pray for her whenever I want. I hold her hand and she bows her head and closes her eyes. So I don't think she believes in reincarnation that much. Every week I ask her if she wants to come to church with me, she always says no. I asked her many times to come to Christmas eve service. Always said no. I pray I will break her down and she'll come one day!  When we visit, I always talk about what God had done for me that day or another day. And even she'll say sometimes "I pray …".  Or she'll tell me "you better pray for that". So I'm much more encouraged than my first post.