How/When/With Whom to Start Conversations About JesusNotPaul/Acts
The main thing when discussing spiritual truths with anyone is to realize the vast difference between talking to someone whose heart the Father has prepared verses with a person that equates to “casting your pearls before swine.” While the former may produce an amazingly edifying discussion about the things of the Father, the latter could put you on the receiving end of the swine turning to "rend you.”
In the metaphorical sense, the pearls represent the wisdom of the Father's plan of salvation, the Gospel, and by extension, the wisdom of keeping the commandments and following Jesus by doing so.
I don’t think Jesus is saying that the person you’re speaking with is swine on his or her own merits, but it's the result of agreeing with sin and the demonic realm that a person becomes "swine". The spirit in which they respond to your presentation of truth is an indicator of whether demonic spirits are present and using the person with whom you’re having the discussion to turn and rend you.
Seeing as how we're already talking about spirits we can assume a lot of how we determine to talk to people comes from spiritual discernment, the leadership of the Holy Spirit that gives you a knowing of whether or not you should speak. Jesus said this about when we would potentially brought before others to speak:
The more you obey the Father by keeping the Commandments, the more Spirit filled you will be, and this scripture will be fulfilled in you. Sometimes you will keep quiet, so as to not cast your pearls before swine, and sometimes you speak up.
When you have the Holy Spirit He gives you discernment when you know someone has spirits that are making his/her own spirit resistant to any conversation of the things of the Father. Sometimes the person can seem quite kindly and amenable, but something holds you back because the politeness they show may only be a veneer.
At other times you may find yourself speaking to someone who seems gruff and rough around the edges, with all outward signs that he or she may be ready to fight at the drop of a hat, but come to find out, the Father has already prepared them for the conversation.
So we must be ever present in terms of receiving from the Holy Spirit as to what to do and when.
But what if you're still not sure and praying through if you should talk to a person or not? What is a safe way to begin to test the waters? (Many of us, after having been on the receiving end of attacks when the subject of Paul has been brought up may be overly cautious now, so how can we actually do the Father's work in situations where we may not be sure because our present discernment is too colored by past experiences?)
The first thing to do is pray over yourself and cast out any demonic spirits of hesitation or fear may have gotten on you and loose courage and strength in the Spirit of the Father to say and do whatever He asks when He asks.
After doing that, I believe the best way is to approach any subject that can bring, let's say, agitated and angry responses is to do so with questions rather than statements. This way you can slowly feel out the other party without them feeling you’re getting preachy or pushing them. (There will still be instances when we just state matter of factly the Truth as the Father gives us to say, no matter if the audience is ready to receive, but what's being discussed here for the times when you can use this approach to avoid a possible swine attack.)
With the subject of Paul, there are literally hundreds of questions that could be asked, but the main question before you begin revolves around determining whether the other person has actually read the Bible (or at least the New Testament) in its entirety before you can even know if the conversation can be fruitful. How can the other person discuss something they are not directly privy to?
This also means that you need to have read the Bible for yourself (and are actually a doer of the Word) and have need to have done so multiple times over and again, so that the Holy Spirit could have written it deep down in your heart. (Reading it out loud is extremely helpful.). The doer part, that is to say, removing hypocrisy from your life is the most important part of the equation. You can't help someone else be free of lies if you're not free yourself:
So, after you’re sure you are ready yourself and are wondering if you can have a conversation with this other person, and once you determine if you’re dealing with someone who believes him/herself a follower of Christ, you might say, “I’ve really been reading and studying the Bible this year, especially the New Testament, have you read it much?”
Believe it or not, this is the point where you might discover that many people who call themselves Christians actually lie, and egregiously so, when answering this question. Many think because they’ve sat in pews every Sunday taking in sermons and picking up the Bible out of the slot in front them and holding in their lap as they follow along with the service means they’ve read it completely. I remember after growing up in Catholic schools and Churches I suffered from that same delusion.
It's not unusual with traditional Church goers of all stripes to find people who have not truly read the Bible themselves, but have for the most part only been taught what the Bible says by those in the pulpit, or from Sunday School teachers, or the teachers in the "Christian" schools.
This means that most people who call themselves Believers have really never read the Bible for themselves.
So this begs the question, how can you talk to them about the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the true and everlasting Gospel that Jesus brought and the false version found in Acts and Paul? Most people don’t know the Bible well enough to make a truthful, Bible based reply to the obvious facts you present. It's like asking someone whose read a few chapters of the cliff notes of Gone With The Wind to answer intricate questions about discussions the main characters had without seeing even the quotes of what they said, only summaries. In the case of churchianity Believers, their responses, generally speaking, are a regurgitation of the spiritual filth that had been fed to them all the years of their so-called “Christian” education.
This is why everyone who sets himself apart to honestly read the Bible while the Father ever shines the light of Truth on its pages, tends to leave out of the brick and mortar Churches. They soon realize they’ve been fed a load of garbage and that now it’s time to see what the Father has said Himself, and hear the Words of Jesus directly.
So now you've determined that the person with whom you're considering having the discussion has at least stated that he/she has read the Bible. You might could subtly test that assumption.
One way to do so is to just bring up your favorite Jesus-centered passages and ask questions about them, such as, “I love the sermon on the mount, what do you think of when Jesus talks about money there?” Or “I love the part in John 14 where Jesus speaks of how He will send the Comforter, what do you think He means by “if ye love me keep my commandments in that chapter?”
By starting with the words of Jesus you will soon discover if this is a Pauline “Believer” who knows very little of Jesus' teachings. I've noticed they will have very little to say about the red ink teachings in the Bible.
But if you had quoted from Paul, you would probably get a snappy response full of energy and exhortation. Asking them what they think about Jesus' Words in ministry is really good gauge for reading if they love Him or not. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will send you a Comforter." You know the person is keeping the commandments and loving Jesus when they are excited to talk about Him and His teachings. This is evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
So now the initial tests are passed and you can now get to a question that brings in Paul into view. You might ask, “Have you ever noticed any contradictions between the Gospel Jesus taught and that which is found in Acts and the epistles of Paul?”
Again, by asking the question, you’re giving the person a chance to answer without feeling forced to believe on way or the other, even though your question does begin to show your hand a bit. Still, from the other person's perspective, you may be asking because you heard others discussing it, and by asking in question form, you are in essence deferring to this person's understanding to help drive the conversation (narcs will love this until they get caught looking stupid for not really knowing what they're talking about).
Now, to such a potentially controversial question, several outcomes could result: 1. You may get an honest reply, that either he hasn’t seen one, or 2. He has noticed but just rug swept those thoughts because they could potentially cause him lots of consternation to deal with resolving such a tremendous dilemma, or 3. The contradictions have bothered him greatly and a discussion on those contradictions may now be able to take place. If the third option manifests, you will know that the Holy Spirit has already dealt with the person and that you are only serving to confirm what the Holy Spirit has been saying.
Option 1 would mean you might be the first to discuss the contradictions, and the Holy Spirit may lead you to just list in almost bullet point level sound bites three or four potential contradictions for the person to chew on. Of course, whatever you say, it's up to the Holy Spirit to lead you. What I say here is only my weak attempt to describe scenarios that could happen.
If Option 2 occurs, you might feel led to ask this question next, "What were some of those contradictions you were hesitant to pursue?" This could really lead to an amazing conversation because chances are nearly 100% that his responses will match your own study and research on the contradictions the Father had led you to see. As long as the person remains collegial and free from agitation, this could be a great conversation that bolsters both of you and sends you home encouraged and edified.
When Option 3 occurs, you know you found a brother or sister and can speak freely to a person who the Father, clearly, has already dealt with. You will jump for joy when this happens. Get ready, it's going to happen more and more.
Now we still haven't addressed the potential for a swine-like response. For me, if I were to get an angry or arrogant reaction, which feels like, “How dare you ask me these questions?” or "How could you ever say such a preposterous thing! Who do you think you are?" I know the jig is up and it's time to move on. There's no reason to argue with anyone much less start some heated row over these issues because it's clear from their response that you can't reason with them. The Father may yet still have you same some things so that it can be on the record for this person judgment that the Father tried over and over again and this particular one viciously attacked the servants the Father tried to send. Having said that, when you do come against people so opposed to the Truth, what you end up saying by the Holy Spirit is usually enough, you normally won't have to revisit the discussion again with just such a person, unless the Father absolutely leads you to.
On the other hand, remember that life is liquid and people can indeed change over time. It's possible that over years and decades even the most obstinate can soften as they begin to deduce that they need the Father and that life is short. I've seen it with my own tear filled eyes, people I never dreamed would soften did. All I'm saying is, be led of the Spirit in all things, He will give you what to say, but He will also cause you NOT to speak as well. Some people feel guilty for not saying something about the Gospel to people in their lives, but preaching the Gospel happens on the Holy Spirit's terms. If the person's heart is not ready, the Holy Spirit knows and does not push Himself on anyone. He is a perfect gentleman. Still, be led of the Holy Spirit in all things. The only way to know you have the Holy Spirit is to be person who keeps the commandments, and if he breaks them, repents.
So don't be afraid to speak about Paul to others when the Father leads. You can do this, but if you're not sure, start with questions!
Either they don’t know the answers and are narcissistically injured because they feel exposed for not knowing, or their demons see the Holy Spirit working in you to bring them to a truth, so they rile up their victim and steal away the opportunity to plant some spiritual seed that could draw them closer to the Father.
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