How
do we as followers of Jesus deal with people who are opposed or hostile to our
faith? Because to be honest, the way we as the church are dealing with
opposition, hostility, and ungodliness is not working. It is not working
because it is not following the biblical pattern.
So
how do we deal with opposition, hostility, and ungodliness?
Proverbs
15:1
A
soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
James
1:19-20
Know
this my beloved brothers; let every person be quick to hear, slow speak, slow
to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James
3:17-18
But
the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of
righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
These
passages show us some biblical ways of dealing with anger and opposition
because of our faith in Jesus.
Our
word, our answers need to be soft. Our answers need to be made in compassion
for others. We must see those who dislike us and oppose our faith and those who
live an ungodly lifestyle as victims, not enemies.
Paul
reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that we do not battle against people but against
evil spiritual forces. These evil spiritual forces, Satan, and his demons, want
to hold humans in slavery. Those who are held in slavery are victims and they
are not our enemies.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is using compassionate answers to others for
our faith in Jesus.
We
need to be quick to hear. Hear, not just listen, is the key. I listen to a lot
of information daily and I only hear a small portion of the information. We
need to hear what those who are opposed to our faith are saying. We need to be open
to reason. We need to learn how to dialog with those who disagree with us and
those who don’t like us.
Paul
when he went to Athens in Acts 17 held discussions with the Greek philosophers
about his faith. He even used some of their own ideas to share Jesus with them.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is being open and willing to talk in a loving
and peaceful manner with those who disagree with us.
We
approach those who do not like us or agree with us in a loving, sincere, and
peaceful attitude.
We
love those who don’t love us.
We
are real and transparent with those who don’t trust us.
We
manifest godly peace to those who are angry at us.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is approaching those who oppose our faith with
love, authenticity, and peace.
We
relate to those who are hostile to our faith with mercy and grace. We relate to
them in mercy because that is how God related to us when we were in opposition
to Him.
We
relate to those who are hostile to us with grace because it only by God’s grace
are people really changed. Paul tells us in Romans 2:4 that it is by kindness
that we are brought to repentance.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is relating to others in mercy and grace.
Why
are we to deal with opposition in this way?
When
we do it produces:
Good
Fruits
Righteousness
Peace
It
is also the way in which Jesus dealt with
The
Women at the Well
The
Women Taken in Adultery
Zacchaeus
Demon
Possessed Man
Jesus
does not relate to those held as victims of sin with anger, condemnation, or judgment
but with love. He relates to them with love, as victims not enemies, and
changes their lives.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is treating those in the grip of a sinful
lifestyle with love as victims, not with anger as enemies.
Jesus
used the early church to change the world because they followed a biblical
pattern to deal with those who opposed them, who hated them, and to those who
lived ungodly lives.
With
a Biblical Pattern for Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
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