Matthew 13: 24-30
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared….
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
The enemy is Satan, the god of this world. He sows lies. Lies often come in the form of wrong philosophies, worldviews, beliefs, religions, traditions, etc. God speaks the truth. Without meaning to sound overly negative, I honestly believe that most of what you hear during life is lies. I am not referring to factual data. I am referring to how it is interpreted. The interpretation of what the data means, as expressed by the majority of people that have ever lived, is lies. As I have previously stated, your paradigm, or worldview is your frame of reference. It is the filter through which you interpret reality. It is the filter through which you interpret the meaning of the factual data. When I say that the majority of people who have lived on this earth have life paradigms that are based on lies, this is substantiated by Scripture. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” There will be a great multitude of people who do inherit eternal life, but when you compare that number with the actual number of people who have ever existed, in comparison, the number of the elect will be small.
We have a tendency to try to change people’s ideas, opinions, beliefs, etc. through reasoning and the presentation of facts. This works in some areas of life, but mostly not in matters of the heart. The bottom line is that the heart of lost mankind is set against God. If we get overzealous in our presentation or arguments with non-believers, (if we try to separate the weeds from the wheat) we may do more damage than good because we may come across in a non-loving or harsh way. I don’t believe that is possible to argue a man into heaven.
Most people who come to know the Lord do not do so because someone has presented a well- reasoned argument to them in favor of Christianity. I am not discrediting good apologetics, because there is a valid place for it. Obviously, that is what I have been attempting to do with my writing. What I am saying is that we must be careful in how we do it, and it has to be done with a loving, not an argumentative spirit. Most people come to know the Lord because they see unconditional love and forgiveness in another person that is so totally different from the way most people are, and it creates a desire within them to know why you are different. That is usually when you can start to reason with them, and this is when good apologetics becomes useful.
So, the next time someone tries to drag you into an argument or “discussion” about religion, tread lightly and show them love without an overabundance of words.
Personally, I am glad I don’t have to weed the garden. I would probably make a royal mess of it, and I am glad that it is not my place to judge anyone. All it is my place to do is mind my own heart and live out what I believe to be right to the best of my ability, and let the chips fall where they may. When I get the opportunity to do so, I will certainly use my words.
Danny's Stump 