Have you ever known someone that just wanted to argue & debate? Today I went to a fast-food place to just study. Believe it or not, McDonald's during the breakfast rush is usually more peaceful than a house with 3 energetic & well-rested boys. So I went there to do some studying.
A guy sitting near me kept asking me questions like it was a job interview. I've seen him there before. He is a pastor and is always arguing with people about the Bible. He's pretty obnoxious about it. I generally try to avoid him. When he finally asked what I do and I said that I was a preacher boy, he got really excited. I could tell he'd been wanting to argue with another pastor for a long time.
So he started peppering me with questions to identify all of the things that we disagreed about so that we could debate them. And believe me, we disagree about a lot. But when he asked me if I memorize Scripture, I just said, "Yes. I really like Titus 3:9 - Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. That's why I'm not going to argue with you. I just came here to read & study, but thanks anyway."
There was a time in my life when I used to like to pick fights, too. I am hoping that I've matured beyond that. I want to be right in the center of God's will, and His Word says that these kinds of arguments are unprofitable and worthless. And I've seen that to be true. I've never known anybody who became a Christian because they were arguing with a Christian, the Christian won the argument, and so the loser decided to become a Christian. Instead, the loser of the argument usually just gets mad and moves even farther away from God. Here's a thought: how about we take Jesus seriously and love our neighbor as ourselves? Or to be ever more radical: what if we were to be intentional about loving them as much as possible even if they have different religious or political views than us? Okay - that's the end of the rant.
My next step is to figure out how I can rock this guy's world by showing him God's love in an extravagant way. Seriously. Any suggestions?
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Growing churches are led by leaders who “make the ask”
11 months ago
wow, that's an awesome story! I've often wondered how I would deal with a situation like that... Now I think I know. If I think of any suggestions for showing him some love, I'll let you know. :)
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