Leadership Thought: How to Witness Without Making Enemies.

Dear Friends,

“Choose being kind over being right and you will be right every time.” (Richard Carlson)

I believe that this 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 to keep a balance between knowledge 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 easier and more convenient to speak the truth than live the truth. However, 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 should be right, but we should never be unloving.

When the newly formed church and Antioch needed some doctrinal grounding, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas. Why Barnabas? I think it was because he was an encourager, and because while he was 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.

Fortunately, Barnabas new that truth always needs to be balanced with love, a love that can 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 even by the way we disagree with them.

Let us again be reminded 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,

Tom