The Purpose of Discussion

The other day I had the utter pleasure of joining in on a ‘discussion’ on a certain topic. Of course I’m being sarcastic. Utter pleasure is definitely not the word I would choose unless I wanted to be sarcastic.

Halfway through this exchange of ideas it came to me, “What is the purpose of all of this”? Why am I involving so much of my time, of my energy, and of myself? A few weeks ago God brought this to my attention when it came to designing graphics. What is the purpose of doing this design, besides just doing it? It hit me that there was no purpose except for fun, and just to do it. In light of everything else I could be doing and should be doing, this repetitive activity passed into the shadows of my desire.

In like manner, the purpose of this conversation suddenly dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities. Why? There was nothing at stake in this conversation because all that were involved were too emotionally invested, too blind to truth, and too hard-hearted to see anything beyond their own preference, own option, and own desires.

This discussion was based on whether or not a certain activity was smiled or frowned upon by God. And sad to say, the conversation looked more like a discussion between enemies than family, as I’m sure all who were involved were. This all made me think, what is the purpose of a discussion.

As Christians, discussion, the exchange of ideas, can ultimately be one of the greatest ways to allow someone to see the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course living your life like you should would be right up there with it, if not more so. So in a discussion, what does the purpose become.

In the one like I participated in, it was became (it was not originally intended however) to show which point-of-view was the right one of a certain issue. When that purpose has been lost of it becomes clear the purpose can no longer be achieved, there is no point in the discussion, and thus you are wasting your time.

Years ago my pastor was living as a missionary overseas and one day two Jehovah Witnesses came to his door to proselytize. They asked to speak to him about their faith. My pastor ablidged because he realized something. If you give someone time to speak their mind and their side of an issue, proper etiquette demands that that person give you time to speak your side. He did and they did. The time was late and the discussion was getting nowhere, mostly because they two gentlemen that came to his door were young and stubborn. They asked if they could come back and bring their superior. My pastor agreed.

When they returned the discussion continued with my pastor as he blasted ever point, comment, opinion, and witness manual-fed argument full of wholes. Yet no matter how factual, how reasonable, or how honest he could be with these three gentlemen, they would not relent on the thought that they were right. Finally, frustrated and tired of hearing the same thing over and over, he decided to ask them to leave. “We’re getting nowhere,” he told them.

And they left. Even though facts and truth stared them straight in the face, they held strong to their opinions no matter how much they didn’t agree with logic, reason, fact, or truth. Sadly, this happens more often than not, especially in discussions of truth. And that is when we have to realize that the purpose of the discussion has been lost, and we must abandon the time-absorbing activity in exchange for something else. Of course if it is a discussion of truth, the “something else” to replace our time waster would be prayer. At least that would be the best option.

Too often though, conversations on the Bible, religion, the truth, are taken up by people that lack the ability to ponder “Maybe I Could Be Wrong”—Christians included. Whether it’s on the validity of the Bible, the existence of a God, or whether a certain thing is acceptable by God. Too many times do people come into a discussion with their minds already made up, and thus, the discussion was over before it began, and you have just wasted your time, your energy, your words, your life. All that wasted on something that wasn’t even up for discussion in the first place, even if someone said it was.

So I ask us, as people, as Christians, open yourselves up to the possibility that you might just be wrong. On an issue like the existence of God, just opening up to the thought of God not being there will do nothing more than strengthen your belief and reliance on Him (if He’s there). For issues like the one I was involved with, the thought that you could be wrong could open you up many things. It could open you up to a deeper relationship with God, a reverence for a Holy God, the freedom in Christ, the forgiveness of a holy God. It could open you up to the truth. And it is the truth that will make you free.