Over the past couple months, I have been working through the book of John with a group of students from Cyril. The book of John contains some of the most important truths in the Bible. We had navigated through some of Christ’s most bold claims without any problems. I was happy with the direction this series was heading, then one Wednesday night all of that changed.
When I arrived at the church that fateful night, I noticed a kid I had been inviting for months was there. I was so excited. I assumed it would be another fun night of breaking down Scripture with students, but I was wrong.
A few minutes into the lesson, I was challenged on a basic Christian belief. As I answered objection after objection, I could feel the tension in the room rising. I felt terrible that the lesson had taken that turn. I kept thinking about the student that had walked into church for the first time.
The discussion ended with a line in the sand drawn. I dismissed everyone in prayer and ducked my head in shame. I was preparing myself for the fallout and I didn’t even want to look up after the prayer. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the student I had been inviting to church. I was flooded with so many emotions when I saw his face. I wanted to tell him, “Please don’t think this is what church typically is”, but before I could get those words out of my mouth, he stopped me.
He said, “Can I talk to you for a second?” He started to speak, but then his eyes filled with tears. We walked outside to a private place and he began to talk through the tears. He said, “I have never experienced anything like tonight. It was precisely what I needed to hear.” I asked him what he meant by that. He explained that he had never witnessed someone defend the gospel like that. He said that it was ugly at times, but it was true. He went on to tell me that what had happened that night changed him. He said, “Tonight rocked my world, I understand what the gospel means now.”
I went home that night and told Courtney the story of my wild night as I cried like a baby. I explained to her that I was overwhelmed. I knew I was at my worst that night. I was caught off guard. However, when I was at my worst, God was at His best. It was a great reminder that we cannot save anyone.
It was also a great reminder that Christians shouldn’t be afraid of a good argument. We are often afraid to argue with one another because we are afraid it will lead to division. That fear of division is warranted when it comes to silly issues (2ndTimothy 2:23). However, there are times when argument is warranted (2nd Timothy 4:2-5). Two vital roles of apologetics are defending the church against heresy and strong argumentation. Sometimes the truth can be divisive, sometimes it can hurt, sometimes it leads to disagreements, but it should never be forgotten or left unsaid.
-Brandon Thompson