The Grace of Fighting

Right, so yesterday no small commotion over Jeff Durbin's words at the Fight Laugh Feast conference

And I just you know everyone was giving their take on them Some people thought it was very corrupt speech some people thought it wasn't and all that kind of thing

And I I posted a Twitter thread and a video yesterday regarding some of my basic thoughts about about the issue

And I said, you know very clearly like actually I actually wouldn't have used those words And I haven't used those words as much as I have said about the woke church.

I haven't said What Jeff said? But but III don't think that I'm the standard here.

You know what I mean? I don't think that that that there's like these magic words that automatically corrupt no matter how you use them in whatever context

I don't think that that's how it works But actually I don't even want to talk about that in this video what I actually want to talk about is sort of the the the fight that happened yesterday because Lots of people said some very strong words about what

Jeff said about how sinful they were and things like that Lots of harsh words and and and very strong pushback on that and There was a lot of fighting.

I saw some people making really strong cases against the words very strong cases for the words and it was

There was some there were some hard things said no question about it And I saw someone this morning kind of characterize it as people

Let me see if I can find this. Let me see if I can find this I'm not gonna name this person because he's not a blue checkmark and it's really not about the personality

It's about the perspective because I saw this perspective a number of times He said that he he he he had a rough day yesterday.

So he wasn't online So he missed brethren ripping each other apart over a preacher's poor choice of words goodness

Y 'all and so the fight itself almost to him was a negative like it was ripping each other's apart it was like almost like he didn't say this but in the

Bible it talks about devouring each other and stuff like that and And actually

I just don't see it that way guys I don't see it that way and I realized I'm a pretty optimistic guy

And so maybe I'm maybe I'm off here But but let me just give you an alternative perspective on what we saw yesterday because I thought what we saw

Saw yesterday was full of grace. In fact, I I Quote tweeted this guy. I think he misunderstood what

I was doing. I wasn't really responding to him I was kind of telling my followers that look look whatever you guys said to me because a lot of people were saying how much

How strongly they disagreed with me on this topic like I didn't want anyone to think that I felt like they were ripping me apart

I really did not feel that way. I really did not feel that way I think iron sharpens iron and when people were saying hard words to me like like Thomas Thomas Custodius Custodius, is that how you say your name brother?

He was saying some hard things. In fact, he made the strongest case Against what Jeff was saying and I took it as a grace guys

I did not take it as you trying to devour me or destroy me or to rip me up I took it as a grace like you were concerned for my soul

You're concerned for Jeff Durbin's soul And so you're gonna state your case in a very strongly worded in a very clear and direct kind of way

I don't think that that means that you don't like me. You understand what I'm trying to say I actually I think that that means that you do like me

You're trying to help me and if I'm wrong guys about this thing where we were I I I don't see the problem with the language that Jeff Durbin used.

I wouldn't have used that word But again, I'm not the standard. I think that there's a place for that kind of thing clearly in the scripture

I think just as clearly as you believe that it's sinful. I believe that it isn't so so so here's the thing guys

But if I'm wrong I'd really like to know about it and I want to change my beliefs and a guy like me

Let me just tell you straightforward in a straightforward way. I don't respond to sissy words

I don't respond to oh, I'm so discouraged and stuff stuff like that. I respond to direct speech and so Thomas brother

Thank you for speaking directly, thank you for the sense of urgency in your voice

I've got a number of followers that that that on my youtube channel we're quoting or we're commenting and and and in direct you could tell the sense of urgency and the and the

Seriousness of what their warnings were for me and for you know by proxy Jeff Durbin as well guys.

I take that as a grace There's a grace to fighting guys There's a grace to disagreement and we need to disagree and and hash this kind of stuff out more

Obviously, there's a line that can't be crossed. Of course. There's a line that can't be crossed I get that right, but but this guy that I interacted with he said that that that we pick strange hills to die on instead of showing grace to each other and Honestly guys,

I did not see yesterday as not showing grace to each other because I saw comment after comment

After comment again strong words guys strong words very clear. I think you're sinning.

Here's why I think you're sinning I personally didn't think the cases were very strong at all and and I and I know that you guys understand that and that's fine

But every one of those comments, I didn't take that as trying to destroy me I saw it as you cared about my soul and you wanted me to reconsider and you were using specific.

This is the best part specific instances Specific verses with specific criticizing specific words of myself and Jeff you see no, there's no value in saying

Oh, your tone is just always bad. You're accusing the brethren and then you don't give examples like that doesn't help anybody

Specifics help people if you've got a specific problem with something specific that I've said I always listen to that I always listen to that and I can't promise

I'll agree But sometimes I do agree and what I do is I'll change my belief I'll apologize if necessary.

There's no apology forthcoming for this stuff. By the way, I'm not going to apologize for it. I'm not sorry I don't think he was wrong

But the thing is like we have to be able to talk to each other in a straightforward way without saying well

That's just lacking grace No, it's not lacking grace if you think Jeff Durbin sinned from the stage at the fight laugh feast conference

I think it does him and you and you a lot of good to say it in a straightforward way in Specifics and and and directly don't don't pull punches

That's the thing like in fact, even at the cross politic live show that I was saying, you know people were talking about how

I don't pull punches and I Brought the example of my own biological brother like my own biological brother.

I'm on his side, man I'm always on his side. I want the best for him, right? I want

I love him and there's nothing that can change that But I have to be able to say something to him if I think he's messed up, right if I think he's messed up I got to be able to say something to him and the way we talk.

It's in a direct way and Vice versa and vice versa. He's got to be able to talk to me

He's got to be able to say do you know a D you got him? He doesn't call me a D He calls me Adam but you got to stop this and he has he has and he's talked me in a direct way and and and and it and It changed my mind.

It changed my mind about what I was doing. Maybe not right away But it changed my mind over time about what

I was doing. This has happened before so yesterday I you know, some of you guys might have seen you know

Fighting that was inappropriate or overly aggressive or ripping each other apart or devouring each other

I didn't see that guys. I saw tons of grace being extended yesterday.

I saw I was so Pleased with what I saw yesterday because it honestly it showed me that there are people out there that care about my soul they care about the condition of my soul and the reality is that these are things that I myself think about all the time because I know

I'm walking a certain line on this content and I know that I don't want to cross that line and I don't think that I do

I wouldn't put out content if I thought I crossed the line some people were asking me at the Conference, you know, how do you edit your stuff?

Right, and I don't really edit it very much But I listen to everything that I put out on YouTube before I publish it

I listen to the whole thing and and there are times when I say something on the video and I go

Yeah, I shouldn't have said that and I'll edit it out I'll delete it before I publish it and and I try to work on not doing that again

So I don't have to edit it and listen in the beginning I had to edit myself a lot more than I do right now because over time

I've learned that there are things there are places That I can't go personally and then all that kind of stuff. And so you should know that I'm monitoring myself here

I'm trying to have self -control myself. And so But it's hard to have self -control sometimes.

It's hard to to see your own blind spots. And so this fighting that we saw yesterday It's invaluable to the body of Christ.

It is a grace. There's a grace in fighting There's a grace in fighting guys

And so I I just I just wanted to say that and brother if the person that I I'm talking about your tweets here

Don't take this the wrong way. Like I understand why you saw it as ripping each other apart here but but I just don't see it that way

I see it as People brothers showing each other grace and having enough love for your brethren to say look, dude

I think you're messing up here and you need to stop we need more of this We need more of what we saw yesterday.

Not less. We need much more of what we saw yesterday because here's the thing guys If we're gonna be acting for the

Lord I think we need to be pushing every button we can every play that we can run we should be running and that is gonna mean that there are gonna be times when

Some people mess up look nobody's setting out to mess up Jeff Durbin didn't set out to mess up if you think he messed up You have to understand he didn't intend to mess up, right?

And so this kind of a pushback maybe it's gonna be a needed course correction I don't think he needs a course correction, but maybe he does

I'm willing to be wrong about that, right? But the truth is though that that that we need to be pushing this envelope as far as we possibly can in Order to act for the

Lord. You see what I'm saying? I'm not saying that we should get as close to sin as possible before we sin But we should be running every play in this fight because this is a fight for the kingdom of God What could be more important than that?

And so some people are gonna mess up but that's okay because the reality is that we're covered by Christ grace

Christ grace is way more It's better than anyone's ever imagined, right? And so I don't want to sin, but if I do sin

I'm covered man And I've got the body of Christ to call me on that and come to pull me back in and to correct me on that kind of stuff and we can agree to disagree on some of this stuff, of course we can and But but but the reality is that we're never gonna get there

We're never gonna we're never gonna be able to see it unless we fight and so sometimes we need to fight each other

There's a grace in that it doesn't mean we're enemies. It doesn't mean we hate each other It actually means that we love each other and we're for each other and we want to do better than we have in the past in the future

Guys, I love you guys Thank you so much for pushing back on some of the things that I've done in the past and you know

Some of you guys know that I've changed my opinions on things Not regularly, but but I have done it

But anyway guys, I hope that you find this message encouraging and and and hope you found this video helpful.