Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

On Confrontation
Did John Wesley, preaching to hardened miners in the open fields of England in the 1700's, ever say to himself, "I had better not tell them they're sinners; they might leave?"

Today we have an anti-authority spirit in America that says,"Nobody can tell me I need to change. Don't you dare." Both in the pulpit and in pastoral counseling we have too often given in to this mentality and are afraid to speak he truth about sin. We keep appealing to Paul's line about becoming "all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22), not noticing that in the very next paragraph he says, "Run i such a way as to get the prize" (v.24). Adapting our style to get a hearing is one thing, but the message can never change without leaving us empty-handed before the Lord.

Do we still believe th truth of Proverbs 28:23, where it says, "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue"?

Jesus was confrontational. When Peter told him to avoid the cross, Jesus didn't reply, "You know, Peter, I'm really trying to understand where you're coming from I appreciate how you car about me and don't me to get hurt." Rather, he said to h is number-one disciple, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt. 16:23).

What do we have in mind?

I personally think we need to say what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to say. So often our flesh talks us out of being truthful so we can keep a friend. There have been times this last year when a friend and I have been in a conversation and I said something that has either pierced their heart and focused their calling, or has given them freedom to accept the calling the enemy was trying to rob from them because of past situations. This was feedback I got from them and I'm so glad they had the courage to tell me this. When they were truthful with me, it encouraged me to continue giving advice or correcting wrongful thinking. That's how the body of Christ is built up. If we keep everything to ourselves, no one benefits, really. Taking risks is not risky at all. It's needed. It's expected.

Romans 15:14-16says, "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." We shouldn't be under-confident that we can't do that. We are full of goodness (right motives), complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

Even when sharing our past or current struggles with someone else, we should NEVER be ashamed of where we've been, as God can always use all of it to encourage, enlighten, rebuke, and/or convict another. Be open and transparent. Truth is truth, and there's no changing it. To hide it or sugar-coat it is to short-change another of the blessings of God and to show a lack of faith in the other person's ability to handle the truth like an adult.

Blessings on this beautiful Lord's day.