Will we turn people away?

Good morning friends,

Last week, Nicole, a NY customer who’s become a dear friend of our family, sent appreciations for this truth discussion but she also had a few questions. We had a little dialog and I asked if she was ok if I'd share some of that with the rest of you. Her questions were highly perceptive and thoughtful and I’m sure she’s not alone with similar questions. She gave her consent so we’ll let you all eavesdrop a little today. :)  Thanks Nicole!

NOTE: If any of you have questions of your own, feel free to ask. This conversation can be as free-form as you direct it to be :)

So here’s my reply to Nicole with a few edits. We’ll take the questions one at a time.

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Good afternoon Nicole,

Thanks, your affirmation means a lot! You can pray that God would give me clearness of mind and wisdom, but also that I’d be disciplined enough to focus! The focus and commitment of time to actually do the work of writing is the hardest part!

Now to your questions... you do ask hard ones, don’t you? :) Just kidding. Send all the questions you want. We respect and appreciate them because your questions are based in real life and real dilemmas that real truth-speakers run up against.

I have excerpted and re-listed these questions from your email to help me answer concisely. Let me know if I missed any. 

1. Do we turn people away when we don't handle "untruths" the right way?

2. How do we balance simply "sowing the seed" (and leaving the rest with God)... WITH, shining the light on the darkness and correcting/reproving (standing up for God and His truth)?

3. I have a hard time using scripture to correct/reprove without coming off sounding judgmental and reactive.

4. Maybe this is considered "argumentative... Is it ok to argue about what's truth????

So let’s start with the first one.

Question # 1. Do we turn people away when we don't handle "untruths" the right way? 

Yes, it is possible that we can turn people away by mishandling a situation. But, this answer needs to be qualified with a fact which is this: Just because it’s possible to make a mistake while doing a good thing, does not mean we should stop doing the good thing.

We, because of our humanity, will not always, even in our best attempts, get things done or said the most effectively or the most tactfully. But we still must do our best and learn from our mistakes.

If we truly have our hearts right with an attitude of love, humility and grace, we will get better at expressing truth in tactful ways the longer we do it. Because it’s ‘the doing’ that gives us the experience that’s necessary for the perfecting of the truth-speaking-skill.

Another factor that we must keep in mind is this: Just because people turn away from a truth we’ve shared does not mean that we didn’t say it right.

Of course it’s always healthy for us to self-reflect on our methods to be sure it’s not our lack of love, humility or grace which is grating people. But we dare never fall for the devil’s lie that we must be doing it wrong based solely on the fact that some turned away and are offended.

If people turning away were a measurement of failure, then we’d need to conclude that Jesus himself was a failure. Many turned away from his truth-speaking. They were obviously offended and angered. Even to the point of killing him!

Of course we recognize that to conclude Jesus was a failure as a truth-speaker is foolish and false. Jesus had perfect love, perfect balance, perfect tact, perfect patience. He was the perfect teacher with perfect PR skills. And yet those who were not "lovers of the truth" as their highest love turned away, were deeply offended and, very predictably of course, blamed him.

Those who speak falsehoods and resist truth almost always blame and punish the truth-speaker. Think Jesus: "He stirreth up the people." (Luke 23:5) Think Stephen: "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit (of truth) by which he spake" with logic, reason or truth, so they resorted to a misuse of power. (Acts 6:10) John the Baptist spoke a truth that could not be denied so the powers used their power and cut off his head. (Mark 6:14-29) The early Christians in Acts sincerely spoke truth and were accused of turning the world upside down. (Acts 17:6)

Yes, as Jesus said, “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth does have the power to set people free. BUT, it will make them miserable and offended and likely angry and everything but free until they accept it and surrender to it. Truth does that.

If we aspire to be truth-seekers and truth-speakers there will be some turned away and they will blame us. We just need to expect it. If our Lord Jesus Christ in all his perfection could not win all men unto the truth, but was rather blamed, we must not expect any better for our feeble efforts even if we could operate perfectly in his strength.

Here is an impactful quote which I’ve had as my computer desktop background for the last year.

“If the Head (Jesus) had to suffer such torture, anguish, misery, and pain, how shall his servants, children, and members expect peace and freedom as to their flesh?” ~ Menno Simons 

Edwin Shank

To be continued (maybe not consecutively)

"Intensely striving to be... A follower of Jesus indeed... In whom there is no guile"

"Finally, brothers (and sisters) whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." ~ Philippians 4:8