I'm using this article as a basis of a devotion with my boys
and thought I'd share it with you all.
The Four Deadly Questions
By Jeff Myers
Effective Christian leaders are to always be dressed and
ready for battle, what Marines call "locked and loaded." Rather
than killing or capturing our enemy, however, the goal in a
spiritual war is to <I>set the opponent free from Satan's trap.
Second Timothy 2:24-26 says, And the Lord's servant must not
quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach,
not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in
the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a
knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses
and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them
captive to do his will. (NIV)
Edward Gibbon, when writing about how Christianitybecame so
influential in ancient Rome, noted that Christians took
advantage of every opportunity to talk about their faith.
When someone said "Jove bless you" after another sneezed,
Christians were known to launch into a dissertation about the
contrast between the mythical Jove and the One True God! They
were always prepared. This article will help you equip you to
stand strong in your public profession of faith by (1) sharing
strategies which challenge hollow and deceptive philosophies
and (2) demonstrating how to thrive in the midst of challenges.
Francis Scott Key, the man who penned the words to The Star
Spangled Banner, was also a defender of the Christian faith. He
once wrote, "I do not believe there are any new objections to
be raised to the truth of Christianity. Men may argue
ingeniously against our faith, but what can they say in defense
of their own?"
One great way to challenge the "tolerance agenda" is by
forcing its advocates to defend what they believe. Here are
four tough questions you can use to do this, along with
examples of how to use them.
What do you mean by that? If someone says "We should be
tolerant of all beliefs," simply ask, "What do you mean by
tolerance?" Most people have never considered this question or
its implications (i.e. we would have to be tolerant of the
beliefs of Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin, etc.).
Tolerance is actually a very shallow philosophical concept
which glosses over the realities of evil and injustice and the
need to strive for truth. Asking for a definition of the term
will get the person to reconsider whether it is a good idea.
How do you know that is true? Next time someone makes a truth
claim such as "There is no God," throw them a curve ball by
asking "How do you know that is true?"
If you are up against a non-believer who is accustomed to
mocking Christianity without having to defend his own beliefs,
this question will stop him cold. By the way, it is important
to never use this question in an arrogant manner, the idea is
to destroy the idea, not the person.
Where do you get your information? If someone says "I can
not believe in God because of all the evil and injustice in the
world," ask them where they get their ideas about evil and
injustice.
They can not know that injustice and evil exist unless they
know of a standard of what is just and good. Where do they get
this standard? On what is it based? Just by asking for
additional information you can get a good conversation started.
What happens if you are wrong? An professor once told me
that all cultural practices should be tolerated. I challenged
this by giving examples of cannibalism, Nazism, Suttee'
(burning a man's wife alive on his funeral pyre) and several
other unspeakably evil cultural practices.
I ended our conversation by asking, "What happens if you
are wrong? Millions of people suffer pain, torture and death
and you can not stop it because you can not decide what is
right and wrong." I left her deep in thought.
Next time you get involved in a discussion, whether it is
about a political issue, a matter of faith, or even a work
issue, learning to ask these critical questions will get to the
heart of the truth!
Blessings,
Cdr. Dick Wm. Waskey
"Don�t wait to make your Son a great man. Make him a great boy."
Faith Assembly of God
Royal Rangers Outpost # 81
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WEB SITE: http://expage.com/page/royalrangers
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