Love Will Keep Us Together: Moving Beyond Theological Rock-Throwing

 Love Over Theological Rock-Throwing

I was sitting at my desk the other day, steam rising from my favorite coffee mug, scrolling through my Facebook feed. You know how it is—sometimes you're looking for a word of encouragement or a bit of fellowship, but instead, you run headfirst into a digital battlefield. I saw a post from a dear friend of mine, a simple thought about their walk with the Lord, and then I saw the comments. My heart sank. There was another "brother" in Christ, attacking my friend with an argument that felt like it came out of left field. It wasn't relevant, it wasn't helpful, and it certainly wasn't kind. It was just a theological rock being thrown for the sake of throwing it.

It made me realize why so many people I meet out in the marketplace tell me they won't even touch social media. They say, "Conrad, I've had enough of that garbage." They’ve been bitten, bruised, and battered by the very people who are supposed to be known by their love. This isn't just a Facebook problem, though. It’s a spiritual problem that mirrors what we call "church hurt." People are making a profession out of being offended, and while offenses must come, we have to ask ourselves: are we the ones throwing the stones?

If we are going to make disciples of all nations and preach the gospel to every creature as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission, we need to develop some thicker skin. More importantly, we need to check the spirit we are of. Jesus prayed for the very people driving stakes into His hands, saying, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34 KJV). Stephen, as he was being pelted with stones, cried out for his murderers. If we can't handle a dissenting opinion on a status update without losing our witness, how can we claim to follow the one who died for His enemies?

The solution isn't to win the argument; it’s to let love keep us together. We are building a kingdom, not a debating society. My passion has always been for you to have a true, supernatural relationship with the biblical Jesus—the author and finisher of our faith. But that relationship is hollow if it doesn't manifest in how we treat the person right in front of us, or even the person behind the screen. It's time to move past the intellectual pride and get back to the heart of the Father.

We have to understand that a house divided against itself cannot stand. In our journey with the Lord, our theology is going to improve as we traverse "the Way." We are all at different stages. Think of it like a schoolhouse. A sixth grader isn't mad at a first grader for being in the first grade. They don't mock them for not knowing long division yet. Yet, in the Body of Christ, we often see people who think they’ve reached the "high school" of theology looking down and hurling insults at those who are still learning the basics. Just because you’ve spent more time in the Word doesn't give you a license to attack. In fact, it should give you a greater burden to be humble, because the truth is, we could still be wrong about a lot of things.

I’m always talking about blasting paradigms. If you’ve read my book, OPEN YOUR EYES, you know that I believe we often see through a glass darkly. The top theologians of Jesus' day—the ones who had the scrolls memorized—were the ones who crucified Him. Their theology was "perfect" according to their tradition, yet they missed the Author of Life standing right in front of them. Saul of Tarsus was a top-tier theologian, a student of Gamaliel, and he was using the Word of God to justify killing Christians. He thought he was doing God a service!

It wasn't until Acts chapter 9, when he was knocked down into the dust of the earth, that his pride was shattered. Jesus didn't ask, "Saul, why is your theology wrong?" He asked, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4 KJV). This is a heavy truth we must sit with: when we attack our brothers and sisters, we are attacking Jesus Himself. If our "discernment" leads us to tear down the Body, we need to ask what spirit is actually driving us.

I was looking at the Greek word for "exhort" recently. It carries the idea of calling someone to your side. It’s something you do privately, in love, to build up and edify. It isn't a public execution on a Facebook thread. If you disagree with someone, why not send a private message? Why not reach out in a way that preserves their dignity? When the disciples wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume those who disagreed with them, Jesus rebuked them. He told them they didn't know what manner of spirit they were of.

I remember a teaching by Sylvia Schafer that I heard a long time ago. She spoke about the difference between sewing love into someone’s life and simply handing out a Bible tract. Faith works by love. If people don't know you care, your intellectual argument means nothing to them. We’ve reduced Christianity to winning debates. We think if we can just get someone to repeat a sinner’s prayer, we’ve "won." But is that making disciples?

I like to think of the kingdom of God as a honeycomb. The number six is often associated with man, and we are tasked with building God’s kingdom here on earth. But for that honeycomb to be what it’s meant to be, it has to be filled with honey. Honey is sweet. It’s been said that ancient rabbis would put a drop of honey on a scroll to teach children that the Word of God is sweet to the taste. O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8 KJV).

When the Word is sweet in our mouths, it gets into our heads and drops down into our hearts. Then, when we hit those bitter trials—the ones John the Revelator and Ezekiel talked about—we have the sweetness of the Lord to help us endure. But how does that "sweetness" look when the rubber hits the road?

I saw another post recently that broke my heart. A brother on social media was going through a rough time. He’d just had a medical procedure, he was short on funds, and his electricity had been cut off in the middle of a freezing winter. He was several states away from home and simply asked if anyone had a place he could stay for a couple of days while he got back on his feet. This man was known by many in the "Christian" circle online. And yet, no one took him in.

We can argue about the nuances of the end times or the Greek tenses of a specific verse all day long, but if we won't give a brother a warm bed when his power is out, what are we doing? Is our love just lip service, or is it "Lord service"? Jesus warned us that in the last days, the love of many would wax cold because iniquity would abound. We are seeing that coldness today. People would rather win a debate than be a "Good Samaritan."

Personal Reflections

I’ve had to take a long, hard look at my own heart through all of this. I’ve realized that I can be just as guilty of wanting to be "right" as anyone else. There have been times when I felt that knee-jerk reaction to respond to a comment with a sharp tongue and a "perfect" scripture to shut the other person down. But the Holy Spirit always pulls me back. He asks me, "Conrad, are you doing this to defend My honor, or your own?"

Usually, it’s my own pride. And we know what the Lord thinks about pride; it comes before a fall. I’ve had to learn to be humble in my disagreements. I’ve had to realize that my theological "masterpiece" might actually be a first-grade drawing in the eyes of eternity.

Jesus corrected me through the lives of men like Moses and Paul. These were men who truly stood in the gap. I was cleaning my house the other day, headphones on, listening to the book of Ezekiel. I heard that famous verse: And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30 KJV).

That hit me like a ton of bricks. God was looking for just one man who cared enough about the people to intercede, even when the people were in total rebellion. I thought about Moses. When the children of Israel made that golden calf—led by his own brother, Aaron, the High Priest—Moses didn't just walk away. He went to the Lord and said, Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written (Exodus 32:32 KJV).

That is staggering. Moses was willing to give up his eternal life for a group of people who had spent the last several months complaining and trying to stone him. That is what it means to stand in the gap. Paul said the same thing in Romans 9, saying he could wish himself accursed from Christ for the sake of his brethren.

When I compare my "need to be right" on Facebook to the heart of Moses or Paul, I feel very small. I realized that if I’m not willing to take that brother in when he’s sick and cold, I have no business attacking him over a minor theological point. If the spirit of God—who is Love—dwells in us, then the spirit of love must manifest in our actions.

Biblical References

The Word is clear about the priority of love within the Body. We often treat these verses as suggestions, but they are the very markers of our faith.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35 KJV).

This isn't an intellectual test; it’s a love test. The world isn't going to be convinced by our ability to win a debate. They are going to be convinced when they see us laying down our lives—and our pride—for each other. If we say we love God but we treat our brothers with contempt, we are deceiving ourselves.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also (1 John 4:20-21 KJV).

I’ve been meditating on the "Few" passage in Matthew 7. We often focus on the gate being narrow, which it is. The word "straight" there—S-T-R-A-I-T—means surrounded by obstacles. It’s a difficult path. But notice how Jesus introduces that teaching:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate... (Matthew 7:12-13 KJV).

The Golden Rule isn't just a nice saying for kids; it’s the gateway to the narrow path. If we aren't walking in love, we might find ourselves on the broad road that leads to destruction, regardless of how "correct" our theology might be. Love is the hedge. Love is the gap-standing. Love is what keeps the honeycomb together.

Key Takeaways

• Relationship Over Religion: Christianity is about a spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus, not just winning intellectual debates.
• The Body is One: Attacking another Christian is, in a spiritual sense, attacking Jesus Himself.
• Humility is Mandatory: We are all at different stages of learning; a "sixth grader" has no right to mock a "first grader."
• Love is the Evidence: Our discipleship is proven by our love for the brethren, not our theological accuracy.
• Action Over Words: True love shows up when a brother is in need—like when the electricity is out—not just when it's easy to comment online.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Friends, we have to do better. We are living in a time where the world is watching, and they are desperate for something real. They don't need more noise; they need the sweet honey of the Word of God lived out in our lives. We need to be the men and women who stand in the gap, who make up the hedge, and who refuse to let the enemy divide us over minor things.

If you’ve been "church hurt" or if you’ve been the one throwing the rocks, there is grace today. Let’s turn back to the biblical Jesus. Let’s ask Him to fill our hearts with His Spirit—the Spirit of Love.

I want to thank you for being a part of my life and this journey. If this message touched you, please share it with your friends and family on social media. Let’s spread a little more honey and a few less rocks today. You can find more resources, my books like Overcoming Night Terror, and prior podcast episodes at ConradRocks.net.

Until we meet again, dig deeper and go higher.

Action Items

1. The 24-Hour Rule: Before responding to a divisive or frustrating post on social media, pray about it and wait 24 hours. Ask yourself if your response is edifying or just satisfying your pride.
2. Private Over Public: If you feel a brother or sister is in error, reach out to them privately in love rather than calling them out in a public forum.
3. Audit Your Love: Look for a concrete way to help someone in your spiritual circle this week—whether it's a meal, a ride, or helping with a bill. Put love into action.
4. Study the Gap-Standers: Read through Exodus 32 and Romans 9 this week. Meditate on the level of love Moses and Paul had for their "stubborn" brethren.
5. Check Your Spirit: Daily ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any "theological pride" in your heart and replace it with the sweetness of Christ.