[Cody1611]

I see a lot of Baptists that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.

Ephesians 4:15
"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" KJV

Let me ask you guys a honest question. If someone got in your face and started screaming at you, would you see the love of Christ in that? I know I wouldn't. It's good to show people their sin, but when you're completely rude about it, you're out of place. Before you start yelling at someone about their sin, take a look in the mirror. You're a good for nothing filthy rag!

Isaiah 64:6
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." KJV

When we come to the realization that we're all bad, we'll get a humble spirit and tell people the truth in love. Everyone deals with different sins. For a teenager, sexual sins, such as lustful thoughts tend to come up. For some women and even men, gossip is a problem sometimes. See someone might be struggling with a sin that don't even effect you and you might be struggling with a sin that don't even effect them. We're all different and we all need to pray for each other. Some people grow up in lost families and they're raised in sin and obviously it's going to be harder for them to change than it would be for someone that was raised in a good Christian family.

As Christians we need to deal with lost people and babes in Christ with love, not with a hateful and proud attitude. Pray for them and show them scripture after scripture. Don't yell at them like an idiot. It is possible to stand for what you believe in and still be respectable to other people.

Tons of lost people avoid Christian now days because of bad experiences. They look at these Christians that have a hateful spirit and think, "wow, I don't want to be like that." As Christians we need to be a light to the lost and act like Christians. We want the lost to look at us and think, "wow, I want what they have."

Titus 3:3
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." KJV

Maybe this wasn't much, but I pray that something I said or some of the verses I quoted will bless someone.

God Bless

[Denny]

Cody,you do bring up some good points. But I don't understand why you single out Baptists. This can be said of any Christian group.
But along these same lines lets remember what Jesus said in Mt.7:3
3: " And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,and considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"
This is a part of the Sermon on the Mount, which is, in my opinion, the heart and sole of true Christianity.

Denny

[atlas]

Denny,

Well Cody is a Baptist just like I am. We are always very good about giving out the truth, however sometimes we miss the love part. You are correct that all Christians can and are sometimes guilty of doing this.

Cody,

This is a very good post. Thanks for making it. I need to read that often and keep it fresh in my mind.



Atlas

[Biblestudent]

My Bible college instructor insists that while we try to teach sound doctrine, we ought not to forget that it is taught and should be taught in the context of charity. But I do lose a lot of charity when we don't speak in the same "tongue" (I mean, "doctrine")

Thanks, too, Cody!

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Cody1611

I see a lot of Baptists that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.

I'm just curious; do you feel that there's any difference in the way people speak the truth in person and the way they do it on forums such as this?

It seems I need to try to be a lot more careful how I choose my words on this forum because people don't know me and can't judge my attitude. Even in person my odd sense of humor is hard to know how to take sometimes. I'm sure I'm not the only one as I can read someone else's post and think they're exemplifying a Christian attitude and someone else will think they're being hateful, or vice versa.

On the other hand maybe it is easier to pounce on people you don't know and who don't you on the internet. I hope that's not the case as it would say something about their true Christian (or otherwise) character.

In any case I think we do need to be slow both to give offense and to take offense.

James 1:19-20 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

[Cody1611]

Originally Posted by Denny

Cody,you do bring up some good points. But I don't understand why you single out Baptists.

I originally posted this on my Baptist website. I'm Baptist myself, so I just wanted to clear that I wasn't trying to bash Baptists. The message was directed towards a Baptist crowd originally.

God Bless

[Biblestudent]

Originally Posted by Jeff

In any case I think we do need to be slow both to give offense and to take offense.

I agree.

It is very difficult , as Jeff says, to sometimes accurately gauge the tone of what is being said in this medium of communication.

Something that would be heard and understood as a moderately toned, but direct statement when the spoken word was actually heard can come across as rude when read in this format.

This problem can be compounded when the writer in naturally forthrite and direct in speech, and tends towards sarcasm in humour. Thats me all over, but most Australians are like this and I know that this can make me /us sound much more rude to American ears than is intended.

But lets not lose sight of the fact that Jesus didnt just prance around the country side trying his best to make friends with everyone. When required, he was very critical of people when correcting them, he really unloaded on the scribes and Pharisees in Math. chap 23, for example.

Sometimes people need to be corrected and insructed in a vigorous ( but loving ) manner.

Fundy

[pbiwolski]

Cody,
It sounds to me that you are referring to street preachers more than "Baptists" as a denomination. If this is so, why not come out with it?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I've been preaching the truth in love on the streets for several years now. I've seen and heard reactions similiar to what you posted more than once, all coming from born-again Christians that have a problem preaching on the street.

There is nothing wrong with street preaching - but there is sometimes something wrong with the way the truth is presented.

Not saying this is how you (or anyone here) does this - just making a general observation:

Condemning people is not the way - saying you are all going to Hell is a half-truth (the whole truth is, they are going to Hell if they reject the Saviour) - showing them their sin and the need for the Saviour is what will get them saved, not alienating them (ie. let the truth offend them, if they refuse to repent, rather than turn them away because you are being offensive).