|
|
 |
|
LIFE TEEN Presents "Spread the Word" |
It doesn't matter what you say...
“…let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” - 1 John 3:18
Situation Explained
Ever feel like certain people won’t listen to you, no matter how logical you are or how important your message?
Solution Offered
Over the past several years that I’ve been sharing in this Bible Geek column, answering questions, offering podcasts, writing books and giving talks, I’ve received hundreds of thousands of emails, literally, from every imaginable corner of the globe.
If the person you are talking to doesn’t believe you love them, nothing you say...is going to matter... It is more humbling than I can possibly express. Many emails are very loving and affirming and I deeply appreciate them. Some are quite angry and un-Christian…which gives me the opportunity to pray more; I’ll leave it at that. Most emails, however, ask questions ranging from the quite common to the very obscure.
And the one constant I’ve found is that most inquiries begin with phrases like, “how do I explain” or “how can I convince” or “what verse do I use to prove….”
Put simply, most of the email questions I get are concerned with getting family members or friends, who do not believe what you or I believe, to “get it” theologically.
The thought process is that if we just have the right angle or the correct verse, the profound explanation or the airtight argument, that others’ mistaken theological ideas or bad political platforms will crumble.
Bad theology needs to be confronted, yes, (and bad philosophy, too, for that matter). Ignorance about politics and morality need to be addressed today, too, absolutely. But the truth is that these issues often times don’t respond to us spewing out Bible verses or offering valid arguments, mainly because of the posture of the hearts to whom we are speaking. If someone is not open, logic doesn’t always have room to work.
Some of the holiest and finest minds of the 20th century spoke out against abortion, yet it is still legal and prevalent.
Strong arguments and relevant points are only as powerful as the love of the person offering them. It is love that must act as the motivation of your life if you are to accomplish anything great. It is love that opens the ears of the deaf and softens the hearts of the proud. It is love that breaks through the political and ideological recesses of the “intellect’s brain” in ways that verbal arguments never could.
I have met people who had their minds and hearts changed about abortion, for instance, not because of an article or speech (a some-thing), but because of an encounter with holy men and women (a some-one).
Put simply, if people don’t know that you love them, it doesn’t matter what you say.
Apply that to any area of your life.
In your dating relationships and marriages…
In your schools and offices…
On topics as trivial as what team you cheer for…
On topics as serious as abortion…
If the person you are talking to doesn’t believe you love them, nothing you say – no matter how valid or well stated – is going to matter to them or take root.
The catch, and this verse from 1 John reminds us of this fact, is that it’s not enough to say, “I love you”; we need to live “I love you” in our actions.
That means, you and I can’t merely say “I love you” with the hope that people will listen to us. We need to live “I love you” every day. In time, everything you have been saying, if it is truly from God, will start to sink in.
It might take weeks or months. It may take years. If you’re passionate about the truth you are sharing, the time won’t matter. If you’re passionate about the soul you’re sharing it with, the truth does matter.
God was so passionate about this fact that He took on flesh. Christ didn’t lack logic. Christ didn’t lack truth. Christ also didn’t lack love. He is love.
Salvation Given
“…let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” - 1 John 3:18
So, if you want people to listen to that truth about Him, spend time first living like Him, Who is love.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Affectionately known as the "Bible Geek ®”, Mark Hart serves as Executive Vice President for Life Teen International. A graduate from the University of Notre Dame, Mark is a popular speaker, award-winning author and weekly regular on Catholic radio programs.
|
 |
|