And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
A Christian street evangelist was demonstrating outside a city amphitheater. He was part of a group of individuals heckling concertgoers through a megaphone, calling them “whores,” “sissies,” and “Jezebels.”
Taking the above into consideration, it does not appear that the two quotes are compatible by any rational standard.
Luke 9:54-56 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
There is a contingent of Christians, at least in name, who have arrived at a biblically skewed conclusion that the ministry of the Gospel of Christ Jesus includes harassing, denigrating, insulting, and otherwise badgering the lost. This attitude could not be further from our biblical calling. It is a far cry from the gentleness, patience, and meekness we are instructed as servants of the Lord to walk in.
Matthew 12:17-21 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
The Bible provides precise instructions to the servant of the Lord on how to conduct ourselves when occupied in the ministry of the Gospel of Christ Jesus: preaching, witnessing, and otherwise engaging with the lost. None of which includes calling them “whores,” “sissies,” and “Jezebels.” Those actions hinder the furtherance of the Gospel and are derived straight from Satan’s playbook and are the method of choice for those who refuse to read and diligently study and apply the precepts of the word of God to all aspects of their lives.
Now is not the time to judge others, but to sacrifice ourselves on behalf of Christ Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for all. The biblical calling to those who have trusted in the Lord can be described using three S’s.
- Service
- Sacrifice
- Suffering
The saints (those that trust that Christ Jesus was the virgin-born Son of God, that He died for the sins of the world (our sins), was buried, and rose again the third day) are called to serve in the Gospel, to make whatever sacrifices needed to do so, and to suffer any consequences of that service may bring upon us.
Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
The saints may not be in bondage to the letter of the law, but neither does that grant them divine liberty to do as they please. We will be judged by the law of liberty.
James 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
The most difficult aspect of the life of a Christian is personal liberty. Liberty requires individual decision, individual action, individual responsibility, and most frightening of all, individual cost. Choosing to do good over evil, right over wrong, can cost one their family, friends, jobs, associations, and even life itself. Many live their lives in a lie because they are afraid of liberty, acting on what they believe is right, for fear of the cost. They follow the crowd. Exercising personal liberty, stepping forward alone, is a fearful thing for many. The Christian will be judged on the use of their liberty.
1 Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
The actions of the street preachers described above are malicious, incurring shame and derision upon the name of our Lord, and can bring grave consequences on individual saints.
2 Samuel 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
We, as the saints of the Lord, are engaged in a deadly conflict, a war over the souls of men. It is a matter of life or death to all those within our sphere of influence. To fail to follow the instructions given in the Scriptures weakens our abilities in the battle. The battleground is the hearts of men. Not all things are expedient to our purpose of winning those hearts.
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
The servant of the Lord must:
- Not Strive
- Be Gentle
- Be Apt to Teach
- Be Patient
- In Meekness Instructing
Titus 3:2-3 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Would you have received the Gospel being harassed, denigrated, insulted, and badgered? It is reminiscent of the Inquisition, not the love and grace of God.
Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
The Lord is calling each and every one of His to enter into the harvest and gather in the wheat. The purging and cleaning of the wheat begins after it is in the Lord’s barn.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
The Lord chastens us so that we will walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Does that sound like the fruit of those described above?
Satan desires to take souls captive, the Christian should be winning souls by their godly, Spiritual, behavior.
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Colossians 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: