Congratulations, You’ve Made an Enemy
Dear EBC Family,
The prayer prompt for our Zoom prayer meeting this morning was 2 Timothy 2. Near the end Paul wrote, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel.” (2 Tim. 2:23-24 NIV84)
I believe this admonition is very much for us today. At Evergreen, we strive to hold fast to truth in an age when it is routinely denied. But how easy it is cross from defending the truth to destroying relationships and damaging our witness. What may start as a legitimate debate can so easily turn into a bitter disagreement that results in deep division. Congratulations, we’ve turned a friend into an adversary.
What makes an argument foolish and stupid? The context reveals two key problems. First, we can easily argue about the wrong things. Believers in the first century apparently had a weakness for getting heated over topics that did not warrant such attention. Other translations call them ‘speculations’ or ‘controversies.’ These were not the foundation stones of the gospel, but ancillary issues.
In our day, the secondary topics that ignite vigorous debate include immigration policy, the nation of Israel, the relative benefits and dangers of AI, or the conduct of President Trump. A few years ago, arguments raged about social distancing, covid vaccines and mask mandates. These are not unimportant issues, but neither are they primary. The great tragedy of making such issues our focus is that we neglect our mission to make disciples.
The second pitfall is how easily we argue in the wrong way. It is not wrong to discuss the hot button issues of our day. What is wrong is to get all hot and bothered in the process. Our blood pressure and animosity go up while our love and understanding go down. We sometimes do this in our face to face discussions, and far more often in our social media posts. We would be better off saying nothing at all. Better still, we should obey the Scriptural commands to be kind, patient, and gentle, entrusting any needed heart change to God.
One excellent result of our prayer time this morning: I have a fresh desire to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22) I pray you’ll chase them with me.
Pastor Toby
Categories: Evergreen Connection