Over the course of a few years, with extreme escalation this year, my friends and I have been struggling with two individuals that are members of a Church of Christ. While we care about these people, and at one point they were our good friends, they infuriate us. Why?
They think we're going to hell.
While I know we are confident in our salvation, it has come to debating them off-and-on for a LONG time. In fact, I debated the girl involved in seventh grade (we're seniors now) AND her youth minister on the matter.
Many Churches of Christ are different, but theirs, in particular:
- Believes that, essentially, baptism saves you. You HAVE TO BE baptized AND BELIEVE that it is saving you, or you go to Hell. This is wrong.
- Using musical instruments in a church service in public is a sin. As a flutist in our church orchestra and daughter of our pianist, this offends me. It is my way of worshiping. Their only basis for this is because they aren't mentioned in worship in the New Testament.
- Rejects the Old Testament entirely. Calls the 'Psalms' law (I haven't figured that out yet) and ends up essentially ignoring a huge case for Jesus (the prophecies about Him). However, they have used the OT against us for no apparent reason. Double standards.
They also take the Lord's Supper EVERY Sunday because Paul (I think) took it on a particular Sunday. I don't get the logic, but this isn't really a problem. It just, to me, makes it less special.
The issue here is, though, that they believe that we, and all other genuine Christians aside from themselves, are going to Hell. And they're wrong. These two people are debating us, but they lack logic skills and refuse to concede to anything, even when they are blatantly wrong in the face of biblical truth.
The boy went so far as to writing vindictive and antagonizing messages in his Facebook statuses, which I became infuriated at. The girl - who converted him - is not as aggressive as he. We think he's defensive because he's compensating for his doubt. He posted a big note on Facebook, too, having to do with a Greek word dispute that he and my friend had. He was wrong, according to someone I know who is currently in seminary. However, when three typically uninvolved people tried to tell him was wrong, and in proving it, HE DELETED THEIR MESSAGES and posted a wimpy excuse about not wanting to spark a debate and to take it in private. I say if you aren't willing to have it out in the open, you fear losing. But that's just my analysis.
And now, when my friend proved him wrong on a point - beyond any possible denial - he washed his hands of the situation. (Not to mention we've referenced Max Lucado, who left a Church of Christ at one point and has made his belief clear on that Christ saves you, NOT baptism). This has been going on at this intensity for almost a year. And yet the CoC boy is still egging him and the others of us on, disregarding their desire to bury this bitter root. It makes me furious, which is one request. I've been really tempted to say some very mean things to him and snipe back at him. So far, I haven't. But I'm afraid I will one day and do more damage than good. See, I love debate, especially in this realm. But I can be so mean sometimes when people refuse to see and have no respect for you. It's really hard. The only thing keeping me from doing it has been the foresight of them using it against me/us and it potentially hurting our testimony/integrity.
This debate has taken a deep toll on several of our friends. I'm not so much a casualty aside from getting angry, but others have been greatly drained and troubled by this situation. It hurts us so much to think someone, even in face of our obvious love for God and His Word, believes that we're going to Hell. It's troubling, to say the least. In fact, when I was in seventh grade, this girl inferred that my grandfather (a wonderful, godly man who was both a missionary to South Korea and the Philippines, as well as a preacher, and who went to be with the Lord only two years prior) had gone to Hell.
Pray for me, for temper control, for my group to remain firm and put it away before it damages them more, and these two CoC members to understand. There's so much more to this, as far as actual debate content goes, but I won't get into it here.
Next, my aunt and uncle, missionaries, are moving to Prague this summer on a new mission assignment.
My sister is going on a mission trip to Montana this summer as well. It'll be her first time flying.
Lastly, a family in our church, the Gibsons, have suffered a loss. Their son Brad, 25, was killed in a car accident on Sunday, along with another passenger. They weren't wearing seatbelts and were flung from the vehicle after a car ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of them. The father is a Driver's Ed instructor at my high school, as well as a baseball coach. It was heartbreaking, too, when a friend of ours went to the visitation. She was speaking with him, and he asked, "How's your mom doing?" She told him that she was cancer-free and began to tear up. He answered with, "That's so great! God is so good." She openly cried then, for him to be so selfless and faithful even after his son was taken from him. They are a faithful and gracious family that needs prayer and support.
Thanks, guys! Sorry for the bit of ranting up there.
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