Truth in Love

[Cody]

I see a lot of Christians that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.

Ephesians 4:15
"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" KJV

Let me ask you guys a honest question. If someone got in your face and started screaming at you, would you see the love of Christ in that? I know I wouldn't. It's good to show people their sin, but when you're completely rude about it, you're out of place. Before you start yelling at someone about their sin, take a look in the mirror. You're a good for nothing filthy rag!

Isaiah 64:6
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." KJV

When we come to the realization that we're all bad, we'll get a humble spirit and tell people the truth in love. Everyone deals with different sins. For a teenager, sexual sins, such as lustful thoughts tend to come up. For some women and even men, gossip is a problem sometimes. See someone might be struggling with a sin that don't even effect you and you might be struggling with a sin that don't even effect them. We're all different and we all need to pray for each other. Some people grow up in lost families and they're raised in sin and obviously it's going to be harder for them to change than it would be for someone that was raised in a good Christian family.

As Christians we need to deal with lost people and babes in Christ with love, not with a hateful and proud attitude. Pray for them and show them scripture after scripture. Don't yell at them like an idiot. It is possible to stand for what you believe in and still be respectable to other people.

Tons of lost people avoid Christian now days because of bad experiences. They look at these Christians that have a hateful spirit and think, "wow, I don't want to be like that." As Christians we need to be a light to the lost and act like Christians. We want the lost to look at us and think, "wow, I want what they have."

Titus 3:3
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." KJV

Maybe this wasn't much, but I pray that something I said or some of the verses I quoted will bless someone.

God Bless

 

[abigya]

I see a lot of Christians that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.


Tons of lost people avoid Christian now days because of bad experiences. They look at these Christians that have a hateful spirit and think, "wow, I don't want to be like that." As Christians we need to be a light to the lost and act like Christians. We want the lost to look at us and think, "wow, I want what they have."


God Bless

Very true brother Cody, many of us are sharing just the dry word of God with out decomposing the GREAT LOVE OF GOD,


Wonderful thread, thank you for sharing

abigya

 

[Pentecostal]

I see a lot of Christians that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.

Ephesians 4:15
"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" KJV

Let me ask you guys a honest question. If someone got in your face and started screaming at you, would you see the love of Christ in that? I know I wouldn't. It's good to show people their sin, but when you're completely rude about it, you're out of place. Before you start yelling at someone about their sin, take a look in the mirror. You're a good for nothing filthy rag!

Isaiah 64:6
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." KJV

Cody I agree that it is improper to yell at the unsaved people we witness to.

BUT we must always speak Gods absolute uncompromised truth to them at all times.

Sinners are not convicted of their sin if they are not told of their sins and of the ultimate consequences of those sins.

And sinners are especially not convinced of the love of Christ for them if we do not especially express the surety of those dreadful consequences to them, but this can be expressed to them by us in love with great humility.

Cody for far too long certain Christian folks have used Isaiah 64:6 to supposedly help us rotten sinners saved by grace remember what low down worthless dirty old scoundrels we all are in the sight of God.

But Cody Gods love for us is an everlasting love and he sees us through the blood of his son Jesus and therefore because of the blood of Jesus that we are covered by we are no longer adorned with those rotten old rags!

2nd Corinthians 5:21:For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

In Christ Cody, I am NOT a good for nothing filthy rag.

It is just as imprortant that we express the love of Christ to our brothers and sisters IN Christ as it is that we express that love to the lost!

God bless!

 

[Coconut]

An example of speaking the truth in love, by Jesus Christ

Mat 23:11 The person who is greatest among you must be your servant.
Mat 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Mat 23:13 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You don't go in yourselves, and you don't allow those who are trying to enter to go in.
Mat 23:14 How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and say long prayers to cover it up. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation!
Mat 23:15 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a single convert, and when this happens you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.
Mat 23:16 "How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, 'Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.'
Mat 23:17 You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the sanctuary that made the gold holy?
Mat 23:18 Again you say, 'Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.'
Mat 23:19 You blind men! Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
Mat 23:20 Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Mat 23:21 The one who swears an oath by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who lives there.
Mat 23:22 And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
Mat 23:23 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! For you give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.
Mat 23:24 You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!
Mat 23:25 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Mat 23:26 You blind [religious man]! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also be clean.
Mat 23:27 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people's bones and every kind of impurity.
Mat 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Mat 23:29 "How terrible it will be for you, [religious], you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
Mat 23:30 Then you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our ancestors, we would have had no part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Mat 23:31 Therefore, you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Mat 23:32 Then finish what your ancestors started!
Mat 23:33 You snakes, you children of serpents! How can you escape being condemned to hell?
Mat 23:34 "That is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.
Mat 23:35 As a result, you will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Truly I tell you, all these things will happen to this generation."

The trouble is, political correctness has taken over the world, and theological correctness has taken over church ...

Jesus Christ had no regard for either.

How do I know this is true? God said it would happen.

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [theological correctness; you did no choose your words carefully enough so as not to offend me]
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Not to disagree with the OP, but you see, speaking the truth, in this 'time to come' is oft regarded as 'un' loving. The key word is longsuffering, not neglecting to tell the truth, because someones ears might burn. The problem for those who`s ears are burning, is not the truth, nor how it is spoken, rather the problem is their own lust crying out NO, I dont want to hear it!

BTW. To "offend" literally means 'to cause to sin (stumble)'

You will never cause a man or woman to stumble by telling them the truth,
but they may cause you to trip up pretty good, if you accept the fable
of theological correctness.

 

[rjones]

The old saying goes: "Actions speak louder than words." Jesus didn't just come to tell us that God loves us. He showed us. In the same way, we don't just tell people about God. We show the reality of God's love through our life - by having genuine concern for people, being ready to help, to listen, to express love in practical ways.

Remember: Just as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus is sending us. How did Jesus show the love and concern of God? He gave His life for others. This is how we too are to show God's love to others. We are now God's ambassadors in the world. Unbelievers can not see God, but they can see us!

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" ( 2 Cor. 4:4-6).

The Bible tells us that many people are "blinded" to God's love by the things this world has to offer. The work of God's Spirit is to take away this blindness so that we can see the love God wants to give. But God doesn't aim for a person's mind to try to convince them - He aims at the heart. When we talk with unbelievers about Jesus, we can cooperate with God's Spirit by doing the same thing - speak to a person's heart, not just their mind. We should not try to convince unbelievers about God, nor should we argue. We sould be natural and be ourselves, and allow God's life to work out practically for them to see. When we talk with unbelievers, there will be opportunities to talk about "heart-issues". We can then share about our experience of God's love and the gift of His presence. Even if it takes a while, God's Spirit is working in their lives to break down the barriers.

 

[Richie]

Dear Cody,

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful article. It is very true indeed, but there's one thing I want to tell you.

Some people grow up in lost families and they're raised in sin and obviously it's going to be harder for them to change than it would be for someone that was raised in a good Christian family.

I'm very sorry to tell you that I don't agree with this quote completely, it is true, but it need not be true always.

I have seen cases where:

1). The parents are strong in the Lord's presence but the children are far away from the Lord.
2). The Children are strong in the Lord's presence but the parents are far away from the Lord.
(There are obviously more cases, but I'm focussed only on these two cases for the discussion)

You see, when God touches a person, there is nothing like it. That person will never be the same again. It is upto that person, whether he/she is willing to accept the change or not.

Change in a person depends on the following factors:

1). The attitude and mindset of the person. (Important)
2). Whether the person is willing to accept what God wants to do for him/her (which will ultimately change him/her)
3). The environment (friends, family and their influence on the person's behaviour and thoughts)

One thing we need to remember is that we cannot change ourselves at all, but it is the Holy Spirit that guides us, leads us and changes us to become more like Jesus.

I hope I have made myself clear to you.

Moreover, as far as this quote is concerned:

I see a lot of Christians that speak the truth, but sometimes it's not in love. They tell the truth, but they have a hateful and proud spirit.

It is absolutely right, very much true indeed. They speak the truth because of selfish motivations and destructive intentions. Even though they speak the truth, it is obviously satanic.

God bless you.