Dear Friends,
"Choose being kind over being right and you will be right
every time." Yesterday I memorized this quote by Richard Carlson
because I believe it is an important principle to keep in mind when
witnessing to others. When I first read this quote, I thought of Paul's words
to the Corinthians: "Knowledge puffs up but love builds up. (1 Corinthians
8:1). How important it is is to keep a balance between knowledge (truth)
and love.
It is so true that "Knowledge can become a weapon to hurt
people or a tool to build them up." Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary,
Warren Wiersbe, p 749.
How often I have seen people try to argue others into the Kingdom
with biblical truth rather than loving them into the Kingdom through a biblical
life. It is certainly far easier and more convenient to speak the truth than to
live the truth, but we must do both if we are to be successful witnesses
for Christ. Truth is important when sharing your faith, but we must always be
careful to wrap the truth in love. Howard Newton reminds us that "Truth is
the art of making a point without making an enemy," and all Christians
need to learn this principle. We can be right, but we can never be unloving for
as Paul writes we must always "speak the truth in love"
(Ephesians 4:15).
When the newly formed church in Antioch needed some doctrinal
grounding, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to visit Antioch. Why
Barnabas? I think it was because he was a loving truth teller, and because,
while grounded in doctrine, the church knew he wouldn't use his knowledge as a
club. They knew that he would be as interested in loving them as changing them.
Barnabas was loving, accepting and flexible, and no doubt he developed a real
ministry among that church where believers were first called Christians. It was
the church at Antioch that sent the first missionaries into Europe.
Fortunately, Barnabas new that truth always needs to be balanced
with love, a love that is able to tolerate those who may think differently, act
differently, worship differently, and even believe differently.
Christians must learn to disagree without becoming disagreeable.
We can witness to people by the way we 'disagree' with them.
This reminds me of the story involving Bishop Pike who for many
years was a strong defender of biblical truth. However, in later years, he
renounced biblical orthodoxy in favor of sciences and other non-biblical
revelations. Before his death he was involved in a debate with a well-known
Christian scholar who absolutely devastated him intellectually. The man ground
him up and spit him out. He made Bishop Pike look like a fool, and the sad
thing was that he didn't stop when Pike was down, but instead he kept whipping
him and beating on him. Some of those who came to the debate as defenders of
orthodox truth began losing their respect for the man who was acting so
ungraciously, and before long some of them were even siding with Bishop Pike.
As a result of the debate, the embarrassed Pike became even more adamant
and convinced of his beliefs. The Christian won the argument, but he lost a
soul in the process
Later in the same year Bishop Pike was involved in another debate,
but this time it was with Francis Schaeffer from La'bri, the Swiss theologian
and churchmen who was not only known for his grace and wisdom, but for his
orthodox religious beliefs. Orthodox but loving, Schaeffer debated Bishop
Pike's belief system graciously and lovingly. He pointed out the errors
and Pikes belief system, but he did it in a charitable and non-dogmatic
fashion. He would make his point and then he would back off, always giving
Bishop Pike the opportunity to respond.
Do you know where Bishop Pike was headed before he
mysteriously died in the desert? He was going to La'bri to sit at the feet
and learn from Francis Schaeffer.
Let us be reminded once again of the words of the 16th
century theologian who wrote, "In essentials unity; In non-
essentials liberty; In all things, charity.
Yours in faith and friendship,
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