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| Dreamstime |
They agree, but they mean different things. They think they're talking of the same thing, but they're not. But at least, you see them agreeing even if they don't really see eye to eye.
One guy said he wanted to be in the company of good people. The other guy agreed. They seemed to mean the same thing until later you see how the first guy meant that he wanted to be with people who always agreed with him, who always bowed down to him. To him, such people were "good." They were "real" friends.
But the second guy meant something else. He wanted to be with people who were considerate. He wanted people who did not just sought after their own interests but the interests of others, too. So, you see these two guys later having conflicts, although at the outset, they had agreed on loving the company of "good" people.
I see this more pronounced when talking with denominational Christians. When I say we have to love and pray for "the church,"---and what I mean by that is the universal church of Jesus Christ, the body of true believers worldwide---denominational Christians would agree with me. Even with a resounding "AMEN!" But then I'd see how they mean something else altogether.
In their minds, "the church" or "body of Christ" is their denominational church. There can be no other church. Other churches are just congregations of believers who are "lost"---lost until they attend their church denomination.
When you say it's important to go to church to worship God, they'd agree with you. But then, it means you'd have to attend their church. If you say you attend another church on Sundays, they won't think you are really doing church. They'd still insist that you attend their church---because they feel that only in their church can people really do church.
When you say we should love one another, they'd agree with you. But that means you should love them. You should look after their needs, make them feel happy and cared for, and understand them. You should go along with their plans. If you don't, it means you don't believe in loving one another. You don't love them.
In one case, I was even accused of harboring bitterness, hatred and animosity---just because I turned down one guy's invitation to be a member of his church. I was pastoring a church the Lord entrusted to me, so how could I be a member of his church?
"You don't have love," he said.
People often define words in ways that favor them, especially those with narrow minds and ulterior selfish motives. They always use words to support their interests, without any consideration about other's interests. So, if you discuss about something, to him it's always "It's about me!"
For instance, they may ask if you believe in peace. If you say you do, they'd say, "Then you have to agree with me so we can have peace---if you really believe in peace."
Manipulators and controllers.
That's why I always try to see how the mind of a person I'm talking to works. Because often, people's minds are thwarted and twisted, even the minds of church people (or perhaps I should say especially of church people).
Recently, I was talking to a guy who believed God called him to lead church people to a deeper experience with the Lord. He had a noble intention, but he planned to do it by infiltrating churches and gradually re-defining their doctrines and swerve them to the "correct" one.
I told him he couldn't do that. Denominational people will stick to their denominational doctrines even if they see how their doctrines oppose the Word of God. They opt to be blinded by their doctrines. Why not instead, start your own, I said. Start your own bible studies.
But earlier, we had agreed how every teaching in the bible should be obeyed by the church. No doctrine should eliminate or declare obsolete or reject any part of the bible. He had agreed enthusiastically. But then, he was thinking of another way to make this happen, and his method was not supported by the bible. The bible says we should submit to the authorities, and that includes church authority.
If you can't submit to a church authority and plan to go against it, you should get out and look for another church.
And then later, he invited me to a "couples fellowship night." It turned out later to be a Valentines fellowship. I laughed. I said I didn't go to fellowships that had pagan origins. I mean, didn't we just agree that all the teachings in the bible should be honored? Then why this pagan and demonic Valentines fellowship?
He laughed and said he also didn't believe in pagan derived programs. But anyway, this one's evangelistic in purpose, he reasoned. He wanted more souls saved for Jesus.
You see, a lot of churches and Christians would agree with me and even shout "Amen!" if I said we had to share the Gospel with unbelievers. You think you are communicating well with these people. But then, you'd see later that there was nothing that went on between you really except miscommunication. You meant one thing and they meant entirely another thing.
How can there be one body in Christ with this kind of miscommunication? How can they agree in prayer? How can they agree on one faith, one baptism, and one Lord?
Be careful. People will often mean something else when they use words you think you share with them in meaning. You have to have the gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit to see how the minds of folks you're talking with work.
You may think you and the guy you're talking with are referring to the same thing. But actually, you're in two very different worlds or dimensions. Don't be caught in the trap.
