VERSE:
[Paul] talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.
— Acts 9:29

THOUGHT:
Someone once told me that it was the stupidest thing they ever heard when I told them that it’s okay to debate with people when sharing your faith. One of the popular modern evangelical methods we have created is called “friendship evangelism”. That’s where you become friends with someone, get them to like you, get them to see your good works and wait for them to ask “why are you so different?”; at which point you are to respond “because I love Jesus”. For some reason, we have turned spiritual warfare into spiritual teatime. Though you will not find one reference in the book of Acts where “friendship evangelism” is exhibited, you will find several wherein heated debate, logical reasoning, and even arguing are. In today’s verse, the debate seemed so heated that it resulted in an attempt of premeditated murder. We are in a battle for souls who are deceived, and the weapons of our warfare are designed to expose the lies and infiltrate with the truth.

APPLICATION:
Don’t be afraid to get into a battle of worldviews with someone who believes a lie. If someone is passionate about standing for a lie, how much more passionate should we be when standing for the truth?! It’s okay to lose your cool, so long as you don’t lose control. When presenting the gospel, speak with authority and conviction. Equip yourself with the weapons of truth.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, equip me with your truth so that I can stand boldly against the lies. Help me keep control, even when I lose my cool. When presenting the gospel, help me do so with clarity, conviction and authority. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN!