This is a reply to a discussion board question from my classmate, Mia.
She asked this question at the end of her response to my original post: How do you think we, as believers, might be emboldened during this day and age despite facing the unrelenting backlash of this virtue-signaling society?
What a wonderful response and terrific question, Mia!
First, we need to pray for wisdom and discernment. As much as we need to live boldly in our faith and stand up for truth and what we know is right, we need to understand when we should engage in these conversations, and when it's not worth our time. Frequently, people aren't looking to debate. That is, they're not entering into the conversation with an open mind, looking for the best idea to come out on top. Too often people only engage to argue, thinking that they can force the other side to understand their point of view.
1. It's important not to become this person.
2. It's important to understand when you're speaking with this person, and work your way out of the conversation to save time and energy.
The Bible shows us this in Proverbs 26:4 - Don't answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
But to your point, the very next verse says: Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
Cue the nonbeliever to point out how the Bible is contradicting itself here, haha! It's really not, they just lack wisdom and understanding.
Both of these verses are true, and wise advice. What God is saying here is that there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solution that we can apply to everything. The world is full of nuance, and that's why we pray for wisdom and discernment so we can know which of these strategies we should employ regarding our current situation.
Now let's say you feel good about the situation, you're speaking with a person who doesn't have a hardened heart. They are open-minded, and as willing to listen as they are to speak. You feel led by the Spirit to have a conversation with this person. But, like many of us, you're probably nonconfrontational. As you say, we're facing unrelenting backlash. People are concerned about what others will think, how it will affect their reputation or employment status, and people worry they might lose friends over these conversations. What's the common denominator between these reasons that people are allowing themselves to be held back?
It's fear! So we must use the fear of the Lord to triumph over the fear of man. How? God's perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). The beauty of being emboldened with the love of God to stand up for what is righteous and godly is that we can allow that holy love to emanate from us. Leading our conversations with love, kindness, empathy, and understanding helps us soften the heart of those we speak with.
Rather than allowing hate to escalate the conversation into an argument, we let love and compassion moderate it. The life Jesus lived on earth gave us a perfect model of this, as in His infinite wisdom He showed us something brilliant. He recognizes when a question is asked under false pretenses, and then answers with a question.
Mark 4:38,40 (NIV). 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
In this example, Jesus ignores their question because He knows they are already well aware that He cares. So He redirects the question to illustrate that their fear-based presumption is actually a reflection of their lack of faith. And it's that same lack of faith that is holding people back from engaging in these conversations that will spread awareness of what the truth really is. We need to have faith in the fact that we know the truth, because Jesus is the Truth and He dwells within us. We need to have faith that when the Holy Spirit convicts us to engage in these conversations, that it is the will of God and we can trust that He knows what is best. When we lean on our faith, we don't fear the outcome of the conversation because whether we are planting a seed, watering one, or harvesting the fruit that others have grown, we know we are doing what we're supposed to do.
And while we're at it, let's pray for Him to send more workers into the fields (Matthew 9:38).
Mia, I'm terribly sorry to answer your question with a TED talk, but I truly hope you find it helpful!
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