Posted on 07/23/2015 5:45:42 AM PDT by Gamecock
Dennis Prager makes the point that there is a difference between the macro and the micro here. (And, this is of course, my interpretation of Mr. Prager’s thoughts.)
The micro is our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. The macro is not. Much of the exhortations in the Bible apply to the micro and not necessarily to the macro.
Interesting line of thought.
The problem with your quote is that Jesus never told them to USE the sword. When Peter used his sword, Jesus told him to put it away.
Because of common sense, 2 against 22. He knew that he had to die as God’s plan and no reason to get his disciples killed too. If you think the disciple lived by the sword you might want to look again.
“If you are truly humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. ... God is truly humble”
-Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) (1910-1997)
I think that a meaningful distinction can be made between an attack by an individual and an attack by a cohesive group. Next consideration is the intensity of the attack; i.e. a slap on the face is one thing coming at one with an ax is another.
Remember 793, Lindisfarne!
....”Telling them you will pray for them drives them nuts”...
I don’t think they care and will frequently just blow it off. It’s seen as avoiding the issue at hand...
I generally block the tone and words not addressing the issue....so i can hear what they really might be saying. Often there’s no substance...in that case i might walk away.
...”By speaking Truth with love”...
That would depend on ones defining love...and the circumstances of the encounter.
Whatever you do.....no bashing!
When confronted by insults and personal attacks by non-Christians, a Christian should pray to God for the complete and absolute destruction of the attacker - pray that God destroys him or her in exactly the same manner He did Saul of Tarsus. Completely destroy the old man and turn him into the greatest evangelist that the Church has known. That is how we should pray for our enemies.
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