Wordworker, I can definitely understand not beating around the bush. I, myself, have been accused of being too blunt. I prefer people just telling me like it is (in His love) then trying to sugar coat things. When someone tells me where I have sinned against God or another I'd rather hear it like it is so that I can repent and get on with things. I am still learning tactfulness and I do feel frustrated when kid gloves have to be used. However, the Lord reminds me that everyone in His family is in a different spot in their walk and at times need someone to be blunt but more often than not need someone filled with compassion. I appreciate you and may our Lord grant you (and me) wisdom in sharing His truth unwaveringly and compassionately.
God is love. Just looking at the majority of the posts on all these different message boards you can see why the church is in the shape it has been in the last 50yrs. If someone stands up and starts doing things for Jesus everyone criticizes. Where's the love.
I'm glad you humbly appologized. Thats probably the most loving thing I've seen on this whole website!
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
If someone said something like this to me and I found out it was true I would feel about an inch tall. If you put this verse in "Southerner" it would read "You boys are ignorant as all get out."
A lack of knowledge of the Bible leads to an ignorant church and that is exactly what we have today. But I will be quiet now, I dont have any use for the wolves in sheeps clothing that ignore the truth of scripture let me just give you one more verse.
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Key words "contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned". If someone is offended because you want to stick to the truth of scripture, guess what! Please tell the phonies to quit misquoting this verse, nothing irks me more than hearing "mark them which cause divisions and avoid them". I just want to grab them by the collar and yell READ THE WHOLE VERSE. Anyway my two cents for what its worth.
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2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
I know this might sound lame, but offence is the spirit of the age, people that allow such things to control them will struggle in the church.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be OFFENDED, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
People that are easily offended are not pursuers after God, because if God's opinion mattered more to you than anyone elses, then NO ONE can OFFEND YOU. There have been many time I allowed offence to over take my spirit only to come back to my senses and say,"wow, what a waste of time that was."
I do offend myself, when i do something I know I shouldn't do, so i repent and move on.
You go girl. If more believers would stand up and contend for the faith there would probably be alot less false preachers behind podiums. Or at a minimum, preachers attempting to twist or leave scripture out would know they were going to be called on the carpet for it.
I guess someone complained to him that I am "too harsh" in some of my dealings here.
If you have a problem with me please ... don't "run to daddy" ... tell ME!
I know that I am outspoken ... I know that I can be "pushy" ... and I know that sometimes I come on VERY strong. (Someone once called me a "Daughter of Thunder!") I won't apologize for who God made me, but I will apologize to those who may have been hurt or "put off" by my style.
I am humbly sorry.
My background is one in which every word and every action was judged and questioned. "Is that really a Christian attitude?" "Do you REALLY think you'll go to heaven if you come to church bare-legged?" (yes ... a man in the church actually challenged my lack of nylons one day. My response? "What are YOU doing looking at my legs?!?!") And it's a background where my rule of thumb was, "If I will have fun doing this, it HAS to be a sin!" The assumption was always that living is sin ... unless you do your best to act dead. Black, dark blue, brown, gray ... good... red, orange, yellow, bright blue ... BAAAAAAAD! (Ask Bob how often he sees me without SOME touch of SHOCKINGLY BRIGHT COLOR!) After God taught me from Galatians about liberty ... after He had broken off my chains of legalism ... I became very protective of my liberty ... and of yours. I do not always stop to think ... I often feel that someone is trying once again to lay upon me (and/or you) a heavy yoke of "oughta" and "can't" ... and when I feel that yoke settling around my neck I get STRONG voiced. You have every right to speak as strongly to me as I speak to you. You have every right to express feelings and beliefs that are different than mine ... but please don't expect me to tiptoe around the edges of a subject that endangers my liberty in Christ. Again I apologize ... not for my strength of conviction, but for my sometimes "thundering" replies.
-- Edited by wordworker at 06:19, 2008-01-28
-- Edited by wordworker at 06:22, 2008-01-28
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"I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people." Jude 3 Joyce