First we have to understand what love is. As I said, loving others does not mean avoiding insults and offenses at any cost according to the over-sensitive touchy-feely society we live in today. Certainly, sometimes we are to be like that. But unfortunately that subjective touchy-feely 'love' has become the modern day christian definition of love instead of objective truth and love for God. We are to love God first, and love for God will not mean that you will accept every insult that comes your way on the name of Christ. Always being careful not to offend others is not loving God first, but loving others first, in my opinion. See the words of Christ in the mind of a first centuary third world audience, they are sometimes downright offensive if you were in the party they applied to. Other times Christ simply walked away quietly. One time I spoke to a guy who thought himself half christian and half buddhist, I told him in no uncertain terms that he must give up his buddhism and follow Christ and why the heck would he want anything to do with buddhism. I was mad, this guy had been fornicating with buddha all the while claiming to be Christian. The next week I saw him he had stopped reading about buddhism, and he's come a fair way in his walk with Christ since. Perhaps I should have said, "well, I respect your beliefs and you can do what you like, sweety", would he still be reading about buddha? Maybe he would, I don't know.
Don't be so worried about any nasty tempers driving people away. That keeps us too self-focussed on our own performance. The thing is, it is not your feelings or your temper or personality bringing someone to Christ it is God's power. If it is your nice personality or nice temperament bringing them to Christ, it is likely they will be a false convert. Anyone who puts their trust in the messenger rather than Christ is going to be disapointed some time or another. No human is perfect including christians. When we bring the gospel to someone, it's really like this - even if you had the nastiest temper in the world but were offering a cheque for $100,00000000 free to take to anyone who wants it, do you think they'd walk away and not take it? If they do it's the free gift they have a problem with not the one who points them to the free gift. The disciples were basically uneducated rat-bags who knew Christ personally. Many times the disciples said things that offended their opponents enough to want to kill them. Act 7:54 And hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts. And they gnashed on him with their teeth.
And in the case of Stephen , what he told them about them having hard hearts and stiff necks and accusing them of being murderers, was enough for him to be stoned.
Many of the scriptures about not offending others, is spoken to brethren over matters of faith and conscience. Even the context of 1 Cor 13 is spoken to brothers and sisters in Christ, as people were not respecting or loving their fellow brethren in the church through the use of their spiritual gifts!
Don't be so worried about any nasty tempers driving people away. That keeps us too self-focussed on our own performance. The thing is, it is not your feelings or your temper or personality bringing someone to Christ it is God's power. If it is your nice personality or nice temperament bringing them to Christ, it is likely they will be a false convert. Anyone who puts their trust in the messenger rather than Christ is going to be disapointed some time or another. No human is perfect including christians. When we bring the gospel to someone, it's really like this - even if you had the nastiest temper in the world but were offering a cheque for $100,00000000 free to take to anyone who wants it, do you think they'd walk away and not take it? If they do it's the free gift they have a problem with not the one who points them to the free gift. The disciples were basically uneducated rat-bags who knew Christ personally. Many times the disciples said things that offended their opponents enough to want to kill them. Act 7:54 And hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts. And they gnashed on him with their teeth.
And in the case of Stephen , what he told them about them having hard hearts and stiff necks and accusing them of being murderers, was enough for him to be stoned.
Many of the scriptures about not offending others, is spoken to brethren over matters of faith and conscience. Even the context of 1 Cor 13 is spoken to brothers and sisters in Christ, as people were not respecting or loving their fellow brethren in the church through the use of their spiritual gifts!
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