"Who are you?" said the Holy Spirit
First of all let me back track just a moment. I have this friend. I will talk of him a lot I am sure. I've mentioned him a few times already. He and I disagree on almost everything there is to do with Christianity, the Word, Jesus, Peter, confession, confirmation, baptism, the list is truly ENDLESS. I do a lot of reading, a lot of research, but above all I do a lot a praying (which he and I disagree on as well). I am inspired quite often on my courses of action. This inspiration can come from one of two places. If I am true of heart, believe with all my soul that Jesus is my savior, and believe his Word, then this inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. If I am not these things then it comes from somewhere else. Can two people totally disagree on all aspects of Christianity, and both still be right? I think not.
My friend occasionally goads me into debate with him, against my better judgment. I stand firm on what the bible says. Granted, I admit, I don't know much of what's in there. I'm just now reading it for the first time. But thus far everything that we have discussed has boiled down to "read Acts Janice", "it's all laid out in Acts", "Acts is Paul's account of the history of the church". Well I wanted to start with the Old Testament and move through. It's taking time but that is what I'm doing. Well in church we started Acts as a Wednesday night bible study. So my friend seems to be eager for me to finish, which I'm not a rusher, I like to absorb, digest, and understand something completely before I spout it back out. And this Wed night thing is supposed to last all year, so it's going to take time. Anyway, I let him goad me on Wed, this discussion frustrated me so very much. Everything I said, he said no, but countered with nothing, just no. When pressed he said that I had to account for something in the book of John. NO... you said it was all in Acts, and now that Acts is not proving your side, you send me on to something else. Don't think so. I left this discussion frustrated, went and got my kids, (still frustrated) and went to church (still frustrated).
We were studying about Stephen (also my sons name) and how he was chosen to be a Deacon for the church, and made a lot of people frustrated. And Pastor said:
"Don’t be discouraged when the Lord calls you to share with
people who are not open so they may be blinded.
Often religious people are the most hardened in their opposition to the
gospel.
There are two kinds of hard.
Street hard – cause of a hard life, and sin in their life.
And church hard – once a person has made up their mind about
something they are often not open to greater things God is wanting to do."
THAT message was straight out of Pastor for ME, it all made sense. So I come home with my course of action, and the following day, I did share this message with my friend. Dropping head.
His response: "I recently wrote this in the comments section of ROK, in regards to an article...
"Keeping an open mind" is spewed forth so rabidly and apoplectically from the leftist fruit bats, that it has unfortunately lost it's true meaning. The open mind is hungry for facts and has no tolerance for bullshit.
I won't subject you to any more of it...
He didn't even have the respect to respond to me directly, he copied and pasted something he told someone else. So, this fueled me, I must prove to him that he's wrong, so that he can get on the right path. I let this push me to read all of Acts. (Which by the way, does not prove him right, but totally wrong on more than one account).
About halfway through Acts and all the obvious specific passages from Paul that prove every single point that I've been saying, I send him a short message, to please reread this book because I just know that he's not reading it, he can't be, how can he think what he does after he reads what Paul wrote. I checked many versions, including his Douay-Rheims version, and they all prove my points. He continues to discuss with me and I ask him, did you reread it that fast (no way he did) and he says "No, I'm familiar with the text". Well obviously not...
So I am laying there last night, wondering how to approach this with my friend.
AND...
Matthew 13:3-9
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow; 6 but when the sun had risen, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up.7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 But others fell into rich soil and produced grain, a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as had been sown. 9 Those who have ears, let them hear!”
I went to sleep last night with the realization that I can not make people believe the truth, I am not able to save everyone, I can't even make the ones I love believe the truth. No matter how much I might want to. That's not my place. God gave us free will, to choose him, and to choose the truth. I can only plant the seed, and nourish it when the seed requests it. I can't un-harden a heart, until it's ready to be. So for me this was a growing session. I am not a pushy person, I don't typically thump people over the head with my bible. I tell my daughter all the time that she can't make her brother or sister feel bad for not believing yet, they have to come to it on there own. The approach that I have always had is to set the example, I try to live the example, and let others come to me.
I have sown this seed. I will nurture it when the time is right. That's what this Gardner does. Thank you Jesus for the peace and calm that you have given me today!
I will post my findings on Acts in a week or so. Some great stuff in Acts!!
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