Reflections on Friday Night

First of all, thank you to everyone who came and participated in a great evening together. As we thought through what Bonfires would be about, we wanted to focus on being together for a profitable time of singing, prayer, and discussion centered around God's Word. I believe we accomplished our goal. Here is what happened in case you missed it:

Singing:
I think the song that spoke to most of us was "In Christ Alone". This song has such a rich text that almost every line carries a theological weight, and a joy as well. Many students and leaders commented on various lines, referencing God's sovereignty, the freedom we have from sin, the finality of Christ's sacrifice, and the great joy we now have being chosen by God. I was very encouraged by our time singing together.

Discussion:
Our discussion centered around the issue of homosexuality and what the Bible has to say about it. At the beginning of our talk, we spoke about some key scripture verses that speak to the husband wife relationship and that speak against a homosexual relationship. I've already posted those passages in the previous post. Our time really got interesting when we began talking about how you would reason with someone who doesn't believe in the Bible. I played the devil's advocate and showed just how hard it is to reason with someone who won't listen to scripture or even to common sense. Things that are obvious to a believer, like looking at creation or even seeing the need for both genders in procreation, are overshadowed in a non-believers mind by their own sense of right and wrong which is still saturated in Christ-less sin.

We concluded that if you are in a discussion with someone who won't change their mind, no matter what you say, it is a fruitless discussion. This means that we need to sharpen our reasoning skills to understand when it is pointless to debate something. Also, even if we do with the debate about homosexuality or evolution or abortion, the person is still going to hell if they don't understand the gospel. That is why it is so important to not get side-tracked and to bring every conversation down to the level of "What is Truth". Here's what I mean.

To know what a person really believes, you have to first understand where they believe truth comes from. If they believe that the true standard of right and wrong comes from within themselves, then there really is no standard and we can do whatever we want. You can confront that person with a statement like, "Why is murder wrong? Perhaps it is wrong for you, but what about someone else who is okay with killing others? If truth lies within each of us, then everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want with no consequences." The absurdity of that statement should be apparent to anyone who is speaking reasonably with you.

Once you establish that there has to be some kind of truth outside of ourselves that gave us a sense of what is really right and wrong, you can move to talking about who or what gave us that truth. It must've come from somewhere. We know that that somewhere is God. Now you are talking about something that matters for eternity; the eternal God who loves us and sent His Son to die for sinners. Remember to move your conversations in that direction as much as possible.

I would love to read your feedback on our discussion. Feel free to ask more questions, make suggestions, or just leave a comment. See you at the next bonfire.