The other day I quoted in church from Peter who said that in the end times people, because of their lust would come up with evolution and deny that God created everything by speaking it into existence. Instead they believe that all things have continued the same from the beginning. 2 Peter 3:5

Afterwards, a needy person who loves to argue and seeks the preeminence, attacked me as being UNCHARITABLE because I pointed out that the Inspired Word suggested that he had lust in his life since he insisted in believing that God used endless haphazard death to produce life from non-life, rather than gloriously commanding its’ existence.

I pointed out that lust could include the passion to argue and always be seen as cleverer than one’s neighbor. That, rather than debate with me, he should take it up with 2 Peter and God. (I love referring those who attack me to God. “You know, I tend to agree with you and often attack myself and put myself and my efforts down, BUT GOD doesn’t seem to agree with us so please take it up with him.)

I asked him to define CHARITY, and what being uncharitable would then mean. He walked away glaring and saying, “this conversation is over.” ( I hadn’t seen any conversation happening.)

Do you think he was seeking my best interest and chose to cause me pain in order to straighten me out? If he was seeking my welfare, why did he give up on me so easily? Or was I being uncharitable in pointing him to the Word of God to find peace in the middle of his miserable quest for  intellectual superiority.

The word translated CHARITY in the Bible is the word AGAPE. There are three types of love in Greek, sexual love, brotherly love, and AGAPE or God’s love. This is the love which seeks the best interest of the other person even if they hate you for doing what they desperately need.

This is not just walking up to someone at church and unloading on them our pet peeves with the preface, ” I’m telling you this for your own good.”

It’s not about getting my concern for the other’s behavior off my chest. Rather I must ask and ponder the question, “What approach is the most likely to HELP THIS PERSON? Lord they need to see and change?” I must keep in mind the two “sugar coatings” of the bitter truth of how messed up they are. 1. we are all messed up. All have sinned and come short 2. there is grace enough to provide hope for even the very worst.

A good place to start might be, “In my life God has had to teach me that _______.” OR “I really like you and am torn, I don’t want to cause you pain, but as a friend I don’t want to see you get hurt.” OR “You seem to be struggling, I’ve been through a lot myself, is there any way I could help?”

Charity is patient, hopes for the best, believes in the other’s worth, is not puffed up etc. I Corinthians 12.  Charity also can include taking a knife to the infected wound and scraping out the debris so that healthy tissue might regrow, ie. pointing out painful truth.

Please pray for the stranger who accosted me at church. That the Holy Spirit might take up the “argument” and not let him sleep or concentrate or succeed at anything till he deals with his pride and need to argue. I doubt that any other person is capable of breaking through his defenses. He is truly miserable, poor man.

I love you and pray for all those who bless me by listening to me share. Do not argue with others but do care enough to share the truth, if peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.  2 Timothy 2.25 I love that “peradventure God” It is not my job to make them agree but to share clearly and leave the result in God’s hand.