The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Gentle Unto All"
"Every Christian preacher should in heart and attitude crawl to his pulpit in utter bewilderment that God graces him with the privilege of speaking one word for the Lord Jesus. Every Christian witness should confess Christ confidently, but also with a profound humility that, as the saying goes, we 'are one beggar telling another where to find bread.' "
I recently heard a portion of a sermon in which a preacher apparently lost his temper, working himself up into a lather regarding fellow believers with whom he disagreed about a particular issue. He disgraced the Lord and the pulpit by a completely inappropriate outburst, forgetting that our Heavenly Father calls us to communicate His truth not only in content, but in countenance and attitude.
"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (II Timothy 2:24-26).
The calling of every Christian communicator and witness involves presenting truth in a manner that directs all focus and attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31). This means that as we "preach the Word," we seek to be not only faithful to the truth of Scripture, but also representative of the Christ it proclaims (II Timothy 4:2). If we allow fleshly manifestations of any variety to accompany our communication, we distract from both the message and its holy Subject. Of course, human traits of personality do serve as tools in the Lord's working to honor His Son. Believers are not simply machines programmed to convey recorded information. God works in us to reveal the Lord Jesus in ways unique to our person and experience. However, we must recognize the possibility of of our demeanor and tone becoming more the center of attention than the One we seek to communicate. Yes, "how" is no less important than "what." "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (I Corinthians 13:1).
We all do well to remember our personal involvement regarding the Lord Jesus and His Gospel. Our sins led the Lord Jesus to His suffering, forsakenness, and tortured death on the cross of Calvary. Every Christian preacher should in heart and attitude crawl to his pulpit in utter bewilderment that God graces him with the privilege of speaking one word for the Lord Jesus. Every Christian witness should confess Christ confidently, but also with a profound humility that, as the saying goes, we "are one beggar telling another where to find bread." What a wonder, that our Father calls us not only to receive His grace, but to share it with others as the means for communicating Himself and His truth. Our attitude must align with our affirmation. We all do well to pray for ourselves and for one another accordingly.
The Apostle Paul realized the truth we consider, and we close with his grateful recognition that the grace and mercy he communicated was the grace and mercy he had freely received…
"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."
(I Timothy 1:14-16)
Weekly Memory Verse
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
(I Corinthians 13:1).
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