What makes for a great
debate? Is it the topic? Is it the moderators? Is the participants? Is it the hype?
One of history’s all-time
greatest debater’s was the Apostle Paul.
He was so good that he was able to convince multitudes of something that
seemed impossible, that is, that God raised Jesus from the dead. That’s right!
So what was it that made
him so successful? Was it his extensive
education and training as a teacher of the law and as a debater? Was it his privileged upbringing as a Roman
citizen and being such a respected member of that society? Maybe it was simply his ability to relate
well to the people in his culture. Paul’s
challenge and topic of debate was to try and persuade unbelieving people to
believe in a real-life resurrection.
Good Luck!
In this season of elections,
the principles of effective debating have been overrun by personality, money,
boisterous language, personal attacks, bias media, and most importantly
hardened hearts.
Hear and listen to the Scripture:
2
And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned
with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving
evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am
proclaiming to you is the Christ." Acts 17:2, 3
Certainly the Apostle’s
credentials matter, his status, his personality, his education, and his love
for God’s law, but Paul’s dependence on truth is what ultimately made the
difference in persuading others concerning the resurrection. Let’s face it, Paul had the facts on his side
and simply “explained” (to open up
completely) and gave “evidence” (to set beside) to the truth. He laid out all the facts, like a person laying
out the pieces of a puzzle, each piece laying side by side, different shapes
with different tones and colors to tip off the placement of each piece into one
giant, complete, cohesive picture. And
the finished picture doesn’t lie. Truth
never lies.
Get past the
personalities, the hype, the language, the attacks, the bias, and develop a
soft and playable heart that sees and hears the truth of God. A great debate is when truth is seen and
understood, not simply with the mind, but with the passion of the heart, a
passion that receives it, lives it, and shares it with others.
and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive
words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5
so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of
God. 1
Corinthians 2:4
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called
you... Ephesians
1:18
