Izzy in blue:
To be critical of another's speech speech is not to assume the worst os
another. But where has God called
us to be critical of another’s form of speech? Is there a Commandment to
speak/communicate in a certain way? Is it a sin not to communicate
according to the desires of John Smithson? Are we not all God’s servants,
and accountable to him, and called to communicate according to the gifts and
callings that He has given us individually? It seems that you expect
others to communicate in a way that is pleasing to you. What if someone hears
God calling him to communicate in a different manner—should he obey God
or JS? What if others expected you to communicate just the same way that they
do? Would that make you wrong and them right? Where
are the Communication Police when we need them???
There is no one on this list with whom I do not share a sense
of Family -- I give the benefit of doubt the boot when it comes to
such things. At the same time, words mean things and we have to be
careful how we use them. If someone does not
communicate in a manner that is pleasing to you does that necessarily indicate
that they are not communicating carefully?
Your post above puts me in mind of Benny Hinn. Exactly who I had in mind. I believe he is a man who fits Paul’s
description in Phil 1:37 “out of selfish ambition rather
than from pure motives” But I don’t call him hateful names
because I could be wrong—I choose wait and see if God judges him (like
with the PTL thing) before I dare to in such a case. I am pentecpostal and so is
Benny. Few people in my congregation care for Benny, yet believe
that nearly all that he does is possible. But his manner of dress,
his notion that there is an atmosphere about him that knocks people off their
feet are things that hinder his ministry. Does God work in his
assempblies. I think so. Is he a child of God
-- probably. Will I ever send him any money? Probably
not.
Concerning the judgment of God and our judgment abilities
... I believe that God is the sole judge of
destiny. But we are asked to share in the judgment of right and
wrong. In the I Cor letter, we are asked to judge those who are within
the family of God. And so, when we see a brother in sin, we
are to go to him. Exactly right. If
you see sin you should confront it. Does that mean you think that not
communicating the way you want is sin? If so, instead of complaining
about the manner of communication, perhaps you should state the specific sin,
backing it up with scriptural evidence? If there is no actual sin,
perhaps there is no basis for complaint other than personal preference?
In terms of personal interaction, a lesson that needs to be learned by the
masses is that words mean something. What is
"meaning?" When applied
to verbal communication, it includes the perceptions of the person spoken
to. The speaker DOES NOT GET TO DETERMINE WHAT IS MEANT because his
words have become communal property -- they have been shared with
another. The speaker does get to determine what he means, and communicate that in a way
that he believes is most accurate.
A husband, therfore,
cannot call his wife a whore and expect her to sense the love he really has for
her. And there are things on this site which we simply cannot
say without giving the "wrong" impression. I’ve certainly been called that very thing on TT—yet I never
heard anyone call you anything near that! J
As all this relates to Abraham, Gen 20:11 IS a statement of motive and,
therefore, I continue to use it in my discussion.
John
By the way, your post, of which the above is a small part, is an excellent
post. There is much that you ahve said in that post that is very
good. The Izzy that once was is back !! Just like with God or
marriage, you gotta take the parts you don’t like along with the parts
that you do. J (Rough, ain’t it?)
