Good day lovely human beings
I hope you’re all well, blessed, and living life to your full potential! Today’s post is a follow up on ‘kindly correcting others’. So as discussed in the previous post, there is no need to be aggressive when delivering the truth to others. We can share the gospel in love, whilst bearing in mind that even though the gospel message is offensive to those who reject Christ, one must still be gentle when sharing their faith.
1 Peter 3:15 ~ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
What I desire for us to remember is that no one holds absolute truths on everything written in the Bible, so we must teach and learn from one another. For example there are different types of specialty Doctors, those who specialise in Cardiovascular surgery, Neurology, Radiology, Orthopaedics, Anaesthetics etc. All Doctors have basic/general knowledge on the human body (anatomy and physiology), but because the human body is so complex one cannot have in depth knowledge on every single body part, hence why Doctors specialise into specific areas of their choice. I don’t believe a Orthopaedic surgeon would be happy to perform a Neuro related surgery and vice versa. A great way in which we can learn more about the Bible is by listening to others and by admitting that we do not know it all. We can also ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our heart. In life we will come across individuals who have more knowledge regarding a particular biblical teaching than us and vice versa. The Bible is FULL of a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom, too numerous for the human mind to comprehend. A bit like the human body which is why it is important for us to have a teachable spirit and walk in humility.
Moving on, engaging in useless arguments is unnecessary and unproductive. So avoid getting involved in them at all costs. We must stop trying to feed our egos, but instead allow the Holy Spirit to feed us food which will nourish our spirit man and cause us to grow in faith.
Romans 14:1 & 10 ~ (1) Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
(10)So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
^^ Accept those of weaker faith and don’t spend time arguing with them, as this can dampen their faith! Allow the gentle Holy Spirit to speak to their heart, as God uses you to kindly share the truth. And remember we should never look down on others because they understand things slightly differently.
1 Corinthians 1:17 ~ “For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.”
^^ When people try to be too clever they no longer operate in the Spirit but in the flesh which is weak and lacks true power.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 ~ “And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
^^ The message which Paul preached was plain, he didn’t try to be clever but relied upon the Holy Spirit. Don’t trust in human power instead trust in God! It’s not about you but all about Jesus!
One question which I frequently love to ask myself is… ‘how can people differentiate the truth from lies’? I personally believe a way in which people can achieve this is by having the opportunity to hear enough truth! Yes it is GOOD to point out doctrinal errors, but let us also strive to feed people the truth through teaching them the basic foundations of the Christian faith, like Ezra did! People need to learn basic biblical principles in order to grow. Ezra was a man committed to teaching others the word of God! If people don’t hear the truth they will not know the truth! For example, staff who handle money learn to know what a genuine note looks like by being given information on the appearance of authentic notes. Because of being informed on what a true note looks like, and being given the opportunity to handle authentic notes, staff will be able to spot a fake note. If people are taught the true gospel they’ll be able to spot false teachings.
Ezra 7:10 ~ This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.
Romans 15:2 & 5 ~ (2) “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
(5)May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.”
^^ We should help others do what is right (follow the Lord) by building them up and not tearing them down! Christ gives us the strength and grace to live in harmony with one another. One of the definitions of harmony in the Oxford dictionary is ‘to have balance’. And it’s important for us to remain balanced in God’s word so that we do not take things out of context. Correct in love and give people hope when discussing about the consequences of sin, by informing them of the saving power of Christ.
I hope we all continue to be faithful workers of Christ Jesus, and exude Christ likeness in all that we do and say. Have a blessed and productive week.
1 Corinthians 8:2 ~ “Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.”
Love from
Christian Lady After God’s Own Heart