“I’m glad you did as Jesus instructed us to do and came to me directly. I think that you and I simply disagree on one doctrine. I don’t mind sharing my understanding of that with you, but I don’t think it’s likely that you and I are going to agree on this one issue. That’s too bad, because I’ll bet that there is a whole lot we DO agree on.
Try reading Acts 10. When God came to Peter on the rooftop with a vision to eat unclean food, Peter had Scripture to stand on when he said No. (Actually he said, “No, Lord.” Now there’s an oxymoron for you!) He also had Scripture to stand on to decline the Holy Spirit’s vision for him, which was to preach to the Gentiles.
He wasn’t supposed to eat those foods, he wasn’t supposed to go into the home of a Gentile. The Bible said so. But God did not debate the Scriptures with Peter . . . God said, “What I have called clean, you may not call unclean.” It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit fell on the group and they began to have the gifts of the Spirit, that the apostles finally said, “I guess we have to baptize them and let them in.”
That’s where I aspire to be. Letting the Holy Spirit fall on me, use me, work through me. Hopefully letting my light so shine that others will see it and glorify God who is at work in me.
I hope this gives you some kind of answer for the hope that’s within me. I think that you and I will simply have to agree that we disagree in this one area. In the meantime, I really do appreciate your concerned spirit and your passionate heart. Let’s keep one another in prayer.”