Beginning in Luke 4:16 we read of Jesus going to His hometown of Nazareth. It was the Sabbath Day and as was His custom He went to the synagogue to read and teach. On this day He chose to read from the prophet Isaiah which just happened to be a messianic passage about Himself. After reading He sat back down, and everyone was watching Him. Then He said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” And they marveled at this hometown boy who spoke with such authority. He then proceeded to teach that they would reject Him just as the Jews had rejected the prophets of old. This angered the crowd so much that they proceeded to throw Him out of town, carried Him up a hill so that they could throw Him off a cliff.
Have you ever found yourself feeling that you were being attacked because you told someone the truth? Some may not agree with my assessment, but if you have never faced adversity or difficulty for speaking the truth, then I question the validity of your truth and I am also convinced that you are doing it all wrong. While there are times when people appreciate the practicing of truth, most eventually give in once things start hitting closer to home and they want you to stop then.
There will be times when biblical teaching must be presented. Obviously, there are ways to go about telling someone the truth. We must be tactful, loving, and patient when preaching the gospel. There will be times when difficult admonitions must be presented, even when it is uncomfortable. We shouldn’t be surprised when the one on the receiving end of correction is upset.
We must remind ourselves of the reality that God corrects (disciplines) those that He loves. We have no right to become angry at those who are going out of their way to help us. Attempting to draw a line of fellowship over correction serves no purpose other than breeding division. Let’s try to keep our emotions in check and not shoot the messenger simply because someone tells us something that we don’t want to hear.
Galatians 4:16 So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
by Lee Elkins