Timid in countenance not communication is in view there.
And the meekness and gentleness of Christ is certainly not anything that ever kept him from bluntly and boldly obliterating the ideals that undermine the knowledge of God of Pharisee and disciple alike.
Seekingthetruth, everyone understands the passions that can be ignited with such banter, lets not go to the "physical" however innocuous they might be brother.
I am 6'3" and over 300 pounds.
I bench about four hundred pounds and my arms are about 22 inches, wear a 60 coat and a 46 inch waste (too big but smaller than my chest and shoulders) and grew up fighting.
And I have a 44 mag, 45 auto, .357 revolver...
But I know we are just joking here and taking a break from the intensity which this subject requires.:love2:
Well, brother, you have to make your proof texts agree with 2Tim 2:23-25.
Yes, you need to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness, but you can still do it winsomely and gently and kindly.
Perhaps I am quite wrong, but I doubt that you have changed anybody's mind on this forum.
I have seen no signs of it.
What you have done is give some of those on the other side of the argument license to be rude and agressive themselves.
And so we have these great long threads with no useful information but loads of mock-grievance:-
"You were beastly to me!"
"Well you were beastly to me first!"
"Well you were beastly to me on another thread!"
"Well you were beastly to me back in 2006!"
etc., etc., etc. ad nauseam. :BangHead:
I've not been here all that long, but I no longer participate in many threads these days because of all the aggression.
I just float about, pop the odd post in and back off.
And if you say to me, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, well maybe that's the wisest thing to do.
I think it is a mistake of pragmatism to make our communication here on this board, in our pulpits and everywhere else all about winning people over to our side.
That is not the only goal of Gospel communication.
Sometimes we are simply to reprove and demolish ideas which pitt themselves against the Kingdom.
And I did address your proof texts and how they work with the texts to which I have referred.
It's your turn.
I like what Douglas Wison said, "The problem with pragmatism is that it does not work."
That's true.
The heroes of the faith who God has used to bring about revivals and reformations did not shoot for winsomeness.
I'm late to this party, so I hope I'm not covering ground that's already been trod.
There's a difference between a free exchange of ideas, honest questioning, and "Thus sayeth the Lord."
When we take on the mantle of teacher we are actually putting ourselves in the position of stating that what is coming our of our mouths (or in this case our fingers) is God's word on the matter.
When a pastor preaches on the Lord's Day morning he is proclaiming God's word and emphatically stating, "Thus sayeth the Lord."
James' warning needs to be heeded:
James 3:1
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
This board serves a useful purpose.
We're able to participate by asking questions and gleaning knowledge.
However, we must be careful not to place ourselves in the position of saying, "Thus sayeth the Lord" if we're not adequately prepared.
I am not intimating that one has to be a seminary graduate in order to understand Scripture.
But on the other hand, we should not look down on scholarship and those who have given themselves to dedicated study of the word of God.
There should be respect going both ways along with a genuine humility.
Hey Luke runs around calling people heretics, saying they will be judged by the Lord, and that they are spreading darkness and evil. I think his congregation does need some prayer. [snipped]