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Learning to respond in a godly manner with conviction.
Learning to respond in a godly manner with conviction.
From my observation here on TheNET we tend to make several mistakes that if avoided could go along way to preserving peace and edifying the body. It is easy to add “amen” to a post that you agree with, but how do you deal with a post that you don’t agree with?
What are some of the steps that we can take to respond in a godly manner with conviction? I am going to list some pointers from my perspective and encourage comments and further input to be added.
- We should not ever respond to a post we disagree with immediately (Note below for exceptions).
- We need to reread the post several times seeking the whole of its content and not focus in on one sentence or statement initially.
- We need to pray about the content of the post seeking discernment.
- We need to examine it in the light of Scripture.
- We need to pose questions to the author about their post, rather than assume and accuse.
- If, after time, rereading, prayer, Scriptural analysis, and posing questions we find the post in error, we need to address the issue(s) directly substantiating your position with Scripture.
- Never attack the character of the poster. (If you defend your position scripturally you do not have to digress to attacking the poster).
- If attacked, brush it off and stay on topic. Scripture will always win the battle, not your verbal assault or defense of self. You can defend Scripture and turn the other cheek at the same time.
- Be teachable. You might actually have this one wrong. If you do, accept it, acknowledge it and embrace the truth. None of us have it all perfectly right (If you do, stay away from me, I will corrupt you … little humor please :-)
- Lastly, not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will see it the same way as you or me on every issue. There are a variety of views on numerous topics. You may be passionate about that particular topic and so will others who may see it differently. This does not mean we are not brothers, for it is at the cross we find our identity, not in the dogma of doctrines or preferences that are open to various interpretations. What are some examples? Mode of baptism, spiritual gifts, evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, end time views, Calvinist or Armenian, denominations or not, the list goes on.
Having said the above I must say that there are times we will respond instantly and harshly. There are times wolves come here in sheep’s clothing. There are people who come here and attack the central doctrines of the Christian faith. They will be met swiftly and rebuked. A good (under)shepherd will protect the sheep from ravenous wolves and must.
One must ask oneself what their purpose is. Am I seeking to edify and help others grow while I am seeking to grow, or am I seeking to be right? Iron sharpens iron and in the process of those two pieces of iron sharpening each other there will be friction and heat, but in the end they benefit each other …. Think about that.
(These principles actually go beyond TheNET and apply to our daily lives and dealing with others who do not quite see eye-to-eye with us.)
Lord Bless,
LT
From my observation here on TheNET we tend to make several mistakes that if avoided could go along way to preserving peace and edifying the body. It is easy to add “amen” to a post that you agree with, but how do you deal with a post that you don’t agree with?
What are some of the steps that we can take to respond in a godly manner with conviction? I am going to list some pointers from my perspective and encourage comments and further input to be added.
- We should not ever respond to a post we disagree with immediately (Note below for exceptions).
- We need to reread the post several times seeking the whole of its content and not focus in on one sentence or statement initially.
- We need to pray about the content of the post seeking discernment.
- We need to examine it in the light of Scripture.
- We need to pose questions to the author about their post, rather than assume and accuse.
- If, after time, rereading, prayer, Scriptural analysis, and posing questions we find the post in error, we need to address the issue(s) directly substantiating your position with Scripture.
- Never attack the character of the poster. (If you defend your position scripturally you do not have to digress to attacking the poster).
- If attacked, brush it off and stay on topic. Scripture will always win the battle, not your verbal assault or defense of self. You can defend Scripture and turn the other cheek at the same time.
- Be teachable. You might actually have this one wrong. If you do, accept it, acknowledge it and embrace the truth. None of us have it all perfectly right (If you do, stay away from me, I will corrupt you … little humor please :-)
- Lastly, not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will see it the same way as you or me on every issue. There are a variety of views on numerous topics. You may be passionate about that particular topic and so will others who may see it differently. This does not mean we are not brothers, for it is at the cross we find our identity, not in the dogma of doctrines or preferences that are open to various interpretations. What are some examples? Mode of baptism, spiritual gifts, evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, end time views, Calvinist or Armenian, denominations or not, the list goes on.
Having said the above I must say that there are times we will respond instantly and harshly. There are times wolves come here in sheep’s clothing. There are people who come here and attack the central doctrines of the Christian faith. They will be met swiftly and rebuked. A good (under)shepherd will protect the sheep from ravenous wolves and must.
One must ask oneself what their purpose is. Am I seeking to edify and help others grow while I am seeking to grow, or am I seeking to be right? Iron sharpens iron and in the process of those two pieces of iron sharpening each other there will be friction and heat, but in the end they benefit each other …. Think about that.
(These principles actually go beyond TheNET and apply to our daily lives and dealing with others who do not quite see eye-to-eye with us.)
Lord Bless,
LT
Views: 1341
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob B on
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1Corithians 13 as our guide of conduct for us to live by
1-We are to be patient with one another other.
2-We are to be kind to one another other.
3-We are not to be envious of each other.
4- We are not to be arrogant and prideful of each other.
5-We are not to be conceited with one another.
6-We should never be rude to each other.
7-We need to consider others before ourselves.
8-We should not become annoyed with each other.
9-We should not become resentful toward each other.
10-We should take no pleasure in wrongdoing, but we should joy in what is true.
11-We should never stop being patient with one another.
12-We should never stop believing for one another.
13-We should never stop hoping for each other.
14- We should never give up on each other because love never fails.
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Permalink Reply by MaryAnn on
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Excellent thoughts Bob!
The only way all of this can be accomplished is with Christ in us, the hope of glory. I plan on chewing on 1 Cor 13 for awhile. Thanks for an excellent reminder.
MA
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Permalink Reply by swtswan on
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That is so beautiful Bob,I will post it for my self /and my family to see i think a nice framed version would be nice in my living room(It is a promise to help us to keep growing in gods love and mercy.)
Thank you Bob.
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Permalink Reply by onlyjesus on
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AMEN, WE NEED TO PRAY, TEST ALL SPIRIT WHETHER THEY ARE FROM GOD.GOD BLESS YOU
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Permalink Reply by Alan on
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i would like to add a point to this discussion, one of the strengths of this web format is that an idea is brought up and followed by those participating and the comments can be followed by when they were submitted. There is a chance that if there is a related topic that comes up and there can be confusion as to how the new topic relates to the original topic. Often it is good to start another topic thread so that the new idea can be explored in full, making a new topic thread allows for both topics to be explored with a minimum of confusion.
The art of expression in the written form can be difficult, this comes in part from the fact that we speak more than we write. There must be an extra portion of grace given that allows the growth of writing styles. We do not all need to be detectives looking for the wolf, rather family looking for a chance to encourage a sibling.
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Permalink Reply by Daime on
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LT,
LT
I am truly filled with joy and I would like to thank the Heavenly Father that I was struggling and your Post have really point out most of it that I need to improve in, as brother Ron mentioned that I am also still growing in the Lord, and make many mistakes.
May the Holy Spirit be with us and guide us every hour,
Daime
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Permalink Reply by John Snow on
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Hi LT:
i have read this responding in God manner, and I totally agree with them, I have been a Christian since july 15 1971 and believe me I went through a lot of disagreements and agreementa, some with anger from both parties, and as time marched and as I grew in Christ he showed me a lot of things that I had to over come, and one of them was to agree while you disagree, and have time to search out the scriptures, and it worked, when a christian argues with another christian they areplaying right into satans hands, I like this net very much have met a lot of new friends already, I use to operate a christian coffee house, and it went very good through the Lord a lot of young people gave their hearts to the Lord, keep up the good work again thank you for this net John Snow
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Permalink Reply by deedee310 on
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Thank you LT,
I will take this advice and try to apply it when I am answering or responding to a post. One area in my life I am working on is my temperament and my tongue. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Love,
DEE
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Permalink Reply by Theresa on
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Thanks LT for this excellent post, I assure you I learned today from reading it. I say Amen to all of it but especially to the one rule where you mentioned about your sense humor :) I think we all need to abide with this very important rule. Your teaching here blessed me today, thank you Jesus for LT. I am so grateful to God our Father for you today and how His faithfulness and grace made you one of the first people to greet me when I joined this Net. Love and blessings, In Christ.
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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When you see mean extremists in another circle, it reminds you why you don't run with that crowd. But when you see mean extremists in your own circle, it's just plain embarrassing. Unfortunately, until we are perfected there will always be mean people of every theological strain. But fortunately, we are a part of the church not merely for the company, but for Christ. - Abraham Piper
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