I have been preaching through this ministry for almost 11 years, and the one thing I always try to avoid is my feelings getting in the way of God’s truth.
And let me tell you… it ain’t easy!
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The one thing that I have noticed in the many, many conversations I have either read or taken part in is that some people start off talking about God, but they devolve into a discussion that is more focused on making someone else agree with them than it is on finding the truth within God’s word.
And no matter how many verses I can give (which are not taken out of context!) that prove my point, they are adamant about their belief. So much so that they ignore what I say and continue to argue with the same rhetoric and indoctrinated spiel that they had burned into their heads from their early introduction to God and Yeshua.
In other words, they are deaf to anything different, and therefor unable to make a sound argument against anything different, whether it be right or wrong.
At that point it is no longer a discussion, it is a matter of pride.
Let me give you an example: I believe in X and someone else believes in Y. I use biblical verses that are not out of context, and my interpretation is in sync with other verses in the Bible (i.e., hermeneutically valid). The other person uses verses taken out of context, repeating what they have been taught without really understanding what they are saying, and they do not refute my arguments or even address what I am saying- they just keep repeating what they have been taught.
Soon, despite me being civil, they stop arguing and begin to attack me, personally, saying that I cannot really be saved or that I am under the law or just plain ignorant; often they get nastier than that.
At this point they don’t care about God or truth or anything other than proving they are right, no matter what, in order to support their pride.
Pride is the mother of all sin, and when it comes to those “hot” topics we believers love to argue about (you know the ones: Trinity, proper names for God, and Torah observance vs. Torah rejection-sorry, but it is, in fact, either one or the other), pride too often gets in the way of learning.
So, to bring this to an end, I beg you to please force yourself to listen to what the other person is saying, whether you agree or not, and do not listen just to know when they take a breath so you can interrupt- really hear what they believe. If you know them to be wrong, then by listening to their argument you can refute it. You will NEVER change someone’s mind by continually telling them what they should believe or what you know to be true.
Until you get them to doubt what they believe, you will never change their mind or even get them to hear you.
And you know what else…they may be right! And if you are too obsessed with making them agree with you, you may miss out on learning something that could be essential to your salvation.
Here is the absolute proof that pride has overtaken a discussion: one or more of the people involved have become so frustrated that their argument isn’t being accepted, they are no longer attacking the argument but attacking the person making the argument.
Always be aware of when discussion turns sour and pride takes over learning so that you do not fall into that trap, and if you even think the discussion is going in the wrong direction, it’s time to shake the dust from your sandals and politely go elsewhere.
Thank you for being here and please remember to comment and share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers. Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for this week, and for another three weeks because we will be traveling in Europe. Be blessed and I look forward to being with you again at the end of the month.
Until then, l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!