No Need to Debate

I feel sorry for those who think they need to bring people to God through fear tactics, and judgment calls. In my experience, that doesn't work and often scares others far away from the church, sometimes for life. It may get someone to say the right thing, or be at church at a certain time, and even scare someone into changing a habit or a way for short "shallow" stint- but it won't be humanly sustainable for them on their own, long term. You don’t “will” your way into being a Christian by following rules and pointing at people to do certain things-- to get to Him.

In my experience, it is almost always, the gift of grace and love from Him--- and the magnitude and awesome realization of that depth of love, that starts the authentic journey of truly knowing Him. We can all walk a walk for a time, but being moved at a level so deep we can’t explain it, so "awed and amazed at His undeserving, unconceivable depth of love and grace in our own life” that changes us. It transforms our  view of  life, forever. That change, is what prepares us and makes us ready to truly know Him. It knocks out everything we were ever taught about the human view of the human condition, and it takes us to our knees and humbles us into a new being, literally. That kind of love and grace is something we humans can’t comprehend until it happens to us. It also becomes the birth, of that "fire in our bellies" to want to share Him- and His kind of grace and love, with others. But, we have to be able to put our human righteous thoughts, our self reliant will and our selfish, insecure judgments down, long enough to truly listen and start to know Him. If we want to be in a relationship with Him, we have to make room for Him inside us, to reform us, and teach us in our heart and souls, what it means to love others, His way. That means we need to get out of the way.

Someone once told me… “Take the cotton out of your ears, and put it in your mouth for awhile." It made me mad, but it was the best advice ever. I stopped talking--and started listening. I asked Him for a "real time" relationship with Him. I stopped pointing  at everyone else, and trying so hard to win His acceptance - and guess what happened? He took a sinning undeserving me, and He graced me and forgave me, and showed me, just exactly who He is. I will never be the same, ever.

I know... that once you know Him. You know Him. (And it's sad, but it becomes so VERY evident who in this world "claim to know Him," but they do not know Him. That is not a judgment-- but a simple fact, because those that know Him, know His kind of love.)

Once you know Him. There is no need to debate the rules, or judge who is good or bad, or which sin is the biggest and baddest. Because you have experienced free access to Him and to the life changing power of His undeserved grace that He offers everyday--to each of us. Once you know Him, you will know nothing else... but His unbelievable depth of love. And you will not see the world, or the people in it, with the same eyes of your past. You will see it from a new view, with a view from His eyes.

In my own life, I have decided there is no need for heated debate with righteous "religious judgers" who claim to know, who is in and who is out, rating sins, or pointing out how someone else should live or who is going to heaven or hell. When I run into someone like that, I go home immediately and I pray for them- I get on my knees with my head to the ground as low as I can go... and I pray hard to Him, my Father, whom I know. I know, that no matter how mad that person makes me from a human standpoint,  that He loves them--He knows they do not know what they are doing (harming His message) and that despite how much I want to not like that self righteous person... He loves them... same as He loves me. And He wants to have that deep authentic relationship with them too, and bring them home. So I pray He bring them home- to truly know Him.

"Help them put down their weapons, their fears, their rules and regulations, and listen for your graceful voice Lord, so they can truly know YOU, and there will be no more need for debate, once they see YOU and know YOU. There will be no more debate about who you are and how you love with unbelievable depths of grace and love. There will be absolutely... no reason for debate. They will know YOU."




Posted by Pamela Martin