What the Bible Teaches About How to Disagree
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What the Bible Teaches About How to Disagree
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Several years ago, during a season of political turmoil amid the COVID crisis, I experienced something I had never experienced before: rude, disrespectful, vengeful, and even threatening comments on personal social media posts that expressed my heartfelt prayers or opinions regarding the issues of the day. Sadly, most of these comments were from professing Christ followers.
Pray for your fellow intercessor.
My response to these comments depended on their content: If the comment was rude, abusive, or contained cursing, I simply deleted it. With those whose intent was simply to argue, I chose not to respond at all. If someone expressed heartfelt disagreement, I offered to discuss the troubling issue with them offline. Some took me up on the offer, though most did not.
What does this all-too-common phenomenon say about our ability as a Christ-following community to both encourage and grow in our ability to disagree healthily and biblically? As Christ’s Body on earth, we should be the model of mature, Christlike behavior — in word and deed — to a lost and dying world.
Here at IFA, we are experiencing these same issues with some of our commenters. This article is to be one in a series addressing the topic of how to build and maintain healthy biblical online community around potentially divisive issues.
Let Us Love One Another
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).
Before I begin, let me clarify two values we have at IFA. We value our commenters. As an intercessory ministry addressing the hot-button cultural issues facing the U.S., the Church, and the world, we desire input from those we serve. We exist for you, our readers and followers: to equip the intercessory community for both prayer and action. Daily we receive encouragement, correction, and new insights or topics for prayer and engagement through the comments coming from all of you. We are led to resources, community engagement initiatives, and answered prayer in the comments sections. We are challenged to dig deeper, to question more fully, and to trust God in greater ways as we consider your input. We are intercessors just like you, and we think of you as our extended family.
We also value preserving the dignity of our contributing writers and those who comment. We do not allow or condone name-calling, cursing, or threatening or any other sort of abusive content. If this is going to be a safe and healthy community in which all may share insights, thoughts, struggles, and opinions, and so act for one another as iron sharpening iron (see Proverbs 27:17), then there must be rules of engagement. Debate among Christ followers cannot be a “blood sport.” We must look to God’s word for His rules about how to disagree well.
As the Scriptures declare, the world is watching us interact with one another. This includes how we interact online. We must learn to disagree in a manner that glorifies God and demonstrates His love.
A First Principle
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:14–19).
In this passage, the apostle Paul teaches us a basic principle for living as a Christ follower; he says that the love of Christ must control us. The Greek word translated controls (or compels, in some translations) is synecho, and it means “to hold together with constraint, to press on every side, to urge or impel.” Christ’s love, demonstrated in His death, must be the constraint for us all on words and actions, and even on our very thoughts. This compels us to act and live as He would. Paul then goes on to say that he himself has become convinced (that is, come to the conclusion) that because Christ died once for all, we can no longer regard one another according to the flesh; instead, in Christ’s love we must consider (we must view) them with His eyes, as His children bought and paid for by His blood. They are not other than we are. We are all upon the level playing field of His body and poured-out blood. And we are all still in the process of being sanctified. Not a single one of us is yet perfected (see Philippians 3:12–14). Our assignment of reconciliation written in His blood is to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (see Matthew 7:12).
When others act or speak in ways we do not like or with which we don’t agree, we are obligated to be restrained in our responses, by the grace of His love. Many years ago, I had a button that read, “Power means not having to respond.” I wish I still had that button. As with the social media posts to which I did not respond, we can choose, despite passion or firm conviction, NOT to respond. We can take our criticisms or strong emotions to the Lord and cast them upon Him. In some of the comments we receive, it is apparent that the commenter holds theological beliefs that are qualitatively different from those in the content of many IFA articles. I would suggest to such a person that the wisest course of action might be to stop following IFA and reading content that angers or outrages that reader.
If the person is someone with whom we will need to interact often, we can ask Jesus: “How do You see this person? Who is this person to You?” We can ask Him for loving and wise strategy if we must confront anyone. If our struggle is against someone with whom we have no personal connection, a refusal to respond may be our only fruitful option, as most healthy debate occurs within the context of relationship.
When Dr. Michael Brown discovered that a group of LGBTQ activists were coming to protest at his church, he and another pastor prepared a table of food and drink with which to greet them. The protesters showed up, met no resistance, and were at first confused. They were then invited to dialogue around a table. Through this gift of Christ-centered hospitality, relationships were formed that endure to this day. The LGBTQ leader called off the protest. Dr. Brown and his staff had not compromised their biblical position, which is well-known to all, but had loved the sinner despite the sin.
Online, or Out of Line?
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another (Galatians 5:13–15).
There are several pitfalls inherent to online commenting. One of the worst is that people will often say things on social media that they would never say in person. I read one such comment the other day, sent to one of our writers. I was shaken by the venom and reckless disregard for the humanity of the target of that venom. Yet the language in the comment seemed to imply that the commenter was a Christ follower. My heartfelt belief is that if that commenter had been physically seated across from the writer, the language and tone would have been very different.
This raises the question: Why do we exercise less self-control online? Why do we allow emotion, theological bias, or a religious spirit free rein online, when we would never do that in person? Well, we imagine that there is less accountability when the recipient of our words is unknown to us or is separated from us by distance or by some measure of anonymity. The Galatians passage above warns us not to bite and devour one another — and both of those are actions of the mouth. I do not think that Paul was warning against any literal biting or consuming, but saying instead that words were being used as weapons that were injuring some of the Christ followers in Galatia. Our reckless words are biting and devouring Christ’s Bride.
We are warned in Proverbs that death and life are in the power of the tongue (see Proverbs 18:21). In that same chapter, we read that a fool’s mouth is his destruction, and that his words are a snare to his soul (see verse 7). How often do we speak as fools? How often do we speak death over our own Body — the Body of Christ — by speaking death over a fellow Christ follower?
On Logs and Fruit
In Luke 6:37–45, Jesus makes several analogies in his teaching about judging others. He begins by exhorting us not to judge or condemn others. I believe that this passage is talking about heart motives. If we’re honest, we must admit we can’t be certain (not even from an article written with strong conviction) what might be the heart motives of someone else. This is the purview of God alone.
Obviously, in other places in Scripture, we are taught how to confront other believers who happen to be in sin. Matthew 18 is one such place: In the parables there, the Lord Jesus refers to our personal sin issues as a log in our eye. He tells us not to call out the issues of other people — that is, we are not to comment on the issues of others — until we have allowed Holy Spirit to sift our own motives and remove our logs. I’m a visual person, and I note that the analogy is brilliant: Our logs totally obscure our vision, making it impossible to see. If we remain humble, we can allow others whom we trust to “call out” our logs. This can happen in healthy community, in relationship — but not in a comments section online. The Lord calls those who won’t submit to this sanctification process hypocrites.
Jesus then says that we will be known by our fruit. He explains that good trees grow good fruit, while evil ones grow bad fruit. The kind of fruit that we want to see grow — the kind which glorifies our Father who is in heaven — is listed in Galatians 5:22 and is called the fruit of the Spirit. Some of the fruit listed there is what we have already referred to: love and self-control. Verses 19 and 20 describe bad fruit, which is produced not by Holy Spirit working in us, but by our flesh, and this bad fruit includes hatred, contentions, outbursts of wrath, dissensions, and heresies. All such rotten fruit may be manifested in words.
Finally, Jesus refers to that which we bring out of ourselves (our words) as treasure. Apparently, there is both good and evil treasure, depending on the source: “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). What is inside us will surely come out. If our hearts contain evil, then evil words will spill out; if our hearts contain good, then good will issue forth. So, will the water that we offer to others be fresh, or foul? (see James 3:11).
As staff members and writers of IFA, we are far more likely to read and consider comments written with grace and honor (even if they are correcting or challenging something we’ve written or posted) than we are to read comments written in a cruel spirit. In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, Jesus makes comments to seven churches. The way in which He addresses each church is a model we too can follow. After announcing His name or title to each church, He first commends them for what they are doing well. Note that He is specific in His praise. It is a great encouragement to read through these letters to the churches, His comments to them, to see what He considers important. Then, He corrects them for what was lacking or sinful. The reasons for these rebukes range from the loss of an initial love for Him, to the toleration of “Jezebel” practices that were infecting the Body, to the spreading of some specific heresies (see Revelation 2:15). Our Lord certainly pulled no punches in His corrections, but His manner of addressing each church nonetheless revealed how deeply He cherished and loved them — His beloved people.
So, in summary: If we want to comment on another’s writings or ideas or opinions, we can use Jesus’ Revelation model. We must begin by choosing to love one another — even those with whom we disagree — and seeing them not according to the flesh, but rather as our brothers and sisters. Then, we must weigh our heart motives, asking Holy Spirit and others we trust to help us remove any logs that may be obscuring our vision. Finally, we must choose the posture of a humble heart, and language that honors our Father as well as the person we’re addressing. It is a scriptural truth that we will have to give account for our words.
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36).
In the next installment, we will look at biblical models for dealing with sin issues (Matthew 18) and differences of opinion (Romans 14–15) in the Body of Christ.
Father, help us to see others the way You see them. Grant us tender hearts to learn the skills of healthy debate within the Body of Christ. Amen.
Have you struggled to interact with others in Christlikeness? Share below and encourage others.
Lori Nicole Meed (Bachelor of Science; Bachelor of Education, Special Education) is a wife, mother, and grandmother who home-schooled her now adult children. In 2004, God moved her family from Canada to the U.S., imparting His heart for the U.S. and for revival. Having walked out her own journey of freedom after being radically born again in 1992, Lori has a heart to see others set free to walk fully in their destiny. She is a leader of an inner-healing and deliverance ministry at her home church in Pennsylvania. She also gathers and equips prayer groups for the U.S. and Israel. Lori has a passion for teaching on aliyah (“going up,” the return of the Jews to the land of Israel), the feasts of the Lord, and the rich connections of the gentile churches to Israel. She is a prayer leader on IFA’s Headline Prayer, as well as being a contributing writer. Photo Credit: Timothy Eberly on Unsplash.
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Comments
Great article Lori. I think people test others different online because they simply forget what you stated: we shall give an account of every idle word and I believe because they don’t walk in the fear of God. The story that you included with Michael Brown is tremendous! It shows the Body another way. Thank you for writing this!
PTL that was written in such a manner that it was easily entreated & very necessary for these days! And as things heat up in our nation perhaps we would all honor The Lord better with this reminder! May we all do a self inventory and check our motives! inventory and check our motives especially the question have I left my first love!!! When we love Jesus the way we should as his word requires. I don’t believe we can diss honor one another.! Like the word says, can you get fresh water and bitter water out of the same well? Thanks for this article. May we the “ Church “ look like the True Body Of Christ!! Help us Lord❣️
Thank You, Your article brings awareness of how much we in our culture lack self control and discernment. Those are two words that read like a forgotten language from long ago. We now experience vitriol and hate in every sector of Society. The phrases, Do your own thing, it’s your truth, America is a free country, so I’ll do what I want have all been used to bludgeon others and build false egos. Sadly our culture has even infected most of the Church. We are sure seeing the fruits of not knowing and practicing the Real Fruit of Self Control and or Discernment.
Add to that, Electronic Media, and the ability to instantly message and communicate to anyone every where! Anyone remember being taught that when you write a letter that maybe emotional or critical? I’m showing my age here! We were instructed to let it sit overnight and reread it the next day before mailing it off! Many letters were torn up!
I’ve been praying PS. 19:14 over myself and loved ones. “Let the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord my Strength and Redeemer!” Those words have been a great reminder at different times! It only takes a small emotional outburst to start a fire!
Instant Media and messaging pours on the gasoline! Sometimes we misinterpret what one is really saying or feeling when we aren’t with them. Text of any kind can hide whether someone is enthusiastic, or disappointed, angry or just excited so that’s another layer.
And then we have an adversary prowling about everywhere. The prince of the air, who seeks to devour. The Deceivers and Trolls are active along with hackers. As the great hymn says, his craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. But we also know the answer to the enemy. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He. Lord Sabaoth, His Name, and He must win the Battle.
May we be AsOne ❤️
Blessings to You!
Wow! How powerful!
Pray for me that others I have helped and unfortunately ended in conflict will forgive me as I now forgive them!
IDK why many that come for help, receive it, and then later snap at me! The apparent mistake here is that I have snapped Back! How can I resolve this mistake?
Great article. The Bible truly contains instructions for life. Thanks for clearly outlining a biblical response to disagreement.
Lori, thank you so much for this article. It is just what I needed to hear (again!), and you presented things so very well. I struggle with my words (or my thoughts!) at times, but I’ve always kept the verses before me re: my words- and I know I must work on the “heart issues” to positively affect my speech (“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”) God bless you as this series continues. I’m going to start a file for my reference!
I read this article and then several of the responses and prayers. There were some who confessed to being part of the negativity that this article exposes. That is a good thing. And healing.
But I do think it is important to be aware that online reviews, responses, etc are vulnerable to bots and to PEOPLE (who deliberately sabotage the site. In this case, I was particularly struck by the report of “cursing.” This behavior is so antithetical to Christian dialogue – even passionate, disagreeing dialogue – that it raised a red flag for me.
A few years ago, a review of my place of employment appeared on line. We were accused of doing something that was physically impossible in that work place. That told us that it was “fake” – probably written and paid for by a competitor.
What better way for the enemy, or the enemies of Christianity to demean and debilitate us and our message than to falsely portray our motives, our operations, our commitment and our ability to be followers of Christ.
I pray for discernment for the writers and staff members at IFA and also in our churches that we can really be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves” in a culture that is based more and more on hatred and deceit.
Amen and Amen!
Thank you for taking on this topic. Unfortunate that it is so difficult, because Scripture is quite clear about this. But, although we are instructed to not be “of the world”, we are all shaped to some extent by the world in which we find ourselves. I join you in praying for salvation for all and for YeHoVaH’s will to reign on earth as in heaven. I repent for the ways that I fall short each day in carrying out His will for my life. Yeshua is the way, the truth and the life. The Scriptures point to Him, but are also living words and therefore, there are multiple nuances to how Scripture is understood. It is my opinion that one of the reasons the “church” is a body made up of many different parts is because of these nuances and the effect of culture on our individual understanding of what it means to follow Yeshua. Without unity, we will never be able to pull together into a complete body that reflects the glory, power, majesty and wonder of YeHoVaH so that the world will find reason to approach Him, rather than ridicule the divided church that we are today. Achieving such unity seems impossible to many of us, especially if we think that we are the ones with the “whole truth”, rather than recognizing that it is Yeshua with the whole truth.
I look forward to reading more on this matter in future articles.
I confess that I am one who does not agree with IFA in everything that is produced, but I follow you because of your clear commitment to bringing to light injustice in the world, and urging all to pray in intercession for healing, revival and correction.
Blessings in the name of Yeshua Hamashiach.
Donna, you have proved the word true! We do not all need to agree on tertiary matters, but remain kind, keeping the bond of peace. Thank you!
😭 Thank you Lori. I appreciate you. I love my sis for brothers no matter the differences we have. I’d still rather stand with my sisters and brothers even with differences.
than with the kingdom of darkness.
God bless you..
Kudos to IFA for addressing these issues head-on and with biblical support. We CANNOT let ourselves engage in the anger-driven expressions of OPINION that are weapons of the ENEMY which are INTENDED to draw in mobs and create CHAOS, DIVISION, and STRIFE (even MURDEROUS thought). It is definitely EASIER to throw off all restraint through online engagement, and we have all become accustomed to the FALSE ‘safety net’ of screens in front of us that give us the extra CHUTZPAH to take off our gloves and punch away verbally. Great article and well-said. Thank you.
Thank you for your article reminding is of how to handle disagreements a Christians.
I admit what you said touched me. I apologize for the offensive and rude things I said on one of the articles. I should’ve said things differently or better yet not have said anything. I apologize if my words caused problems with anyone.
I have repented to the Lord as well. I never want to cause discord among my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I thank God for IFA. It’s been a blessing to me.
Dear Carolyn, We receive your apology and completely forgive you! You are our sister and fellow intercessor. We are all learning how to healthily deal with our differences in the Body of Messiah and not take offense! We so appreciate your humble response.
😭 Thank you Lori. I appreciate you. I love my sis for brothers no matter the differences we have. I’d still rather stand with my sisters and brothers even with differences.
than with the kingdom of darkness.
God bless you..
Well written
I’m so sorry that you were treated so unkindly, and the wound is still apparently not healed. When people do not listen, and reject what we say – especially when it is rational, true, Biblical, perhaps even revealed by God – it probably means that they are under deception in some way. It does frustrate us, but responding in anger not only hurts us by forming bitter roots, but usually shuts down further communication with those we might eventually be able to help. It is our responsibility to speak the truth in love as God leads, but it is not our job to make them listen. We can’t. But we can pray that any deception is broken off. I pray you will find the grace and mercy to release those who wounded you through forgiveness, and release yourself by repenting of anything the LORD convicts you of – that peace might be restored.
I admit I do have a real problem with getting, shall we say, argumentative, online and even face to face especially the past several years. I was never like this before…It all started when I was treated horribly at work and with family and online because I had Covid then decided not to be vaxxed. 8 months treated as a leper, ignored and excluded from meetings, lunches, walking groups, etc. I got to admit it was tough and I was on the brink of quitting as I was constantly labeled as anti-science, grand ma killer, etc. Sadly, I went on a trail of revenge wanting to prove them wrong with studies, reports and so forth. To my surprise, regardless how credible studies were they kept up with excluding me.
It became frustrating and I still teeter on “aren’t I suppose to speak the truth and not conform to them”? This is where I still struggle—I can not understand how something so obvious (other issues as well) can be overlooked. This is where I’m stuck—- Do I let an obvious lie spread or push back against it? I do it lovingly, with the intent of speaking truth until I get attacked then this is where I end up being snarky and at times rude just to make a point. When people are obviously misleading others, what point do I walk away? Do I allow them to mislead? What is our role as Christians dealing with those intent on destroying society? Thanks for listening
Mike, Yours is indeed an all too common story. Although I cannot speak to the specifics of your situation, I would offer two suggestions. My first would be to urge you to go before Your Father and – out loud – forgive each one by name who has injured you. Unforgiveness and bitterness grow in the soil of our pain and unforgiveness. We follow Jesus’ model and say from our hearts, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He will work in them and in you as we move out of His way. And then let Him heal your wounds. They are real and He sees them. Jesus is our High Priest who knows exactly what and how we suffer because He too was betrayed and rejected, abandoned and ultimately killed by those to whom He told the truth. He knows Your pain and He bore it on the cross. Be honest with Him and He will heal your heart.
My final comment is that if these ones do not know Jesus, remember that they are blind (and deaf) in their sin. Telling them truth won’t work. Until they are born again, they are stuck in sin and in fear they cling to worldly things to try and save them and keep them safe. Pray for their salvation.
I disagree.
The founders of our country told the truth and we are here *Now..as a result-,having this conversation. It is a foregone conclusion that we are always to present our case in love.
That is a non-issue.
Much can be said about how loving we’re supposed to be..but it is irrelevant.
Being loving as a Christian is the first order of the day.. however being weak and ineffective in presenting not only the gospel- but the truth about the lies that our enemy-, the evil one- brought into our country-, got us where we are now- because Christians are “nice”.
The time for being “nice”- is over.
I realize that certain Christians hold more sway on certain platforms- as in many organizations- there are always more popular people that are more influential.. that does not necessarily mean the opinions they hold should be considered predominant to any discussion.
When Peter asked the Lord about paying taxes he said you pay them with a gold coin that he got from the fish’s mouth “so we do not offend them”.. –again- let us make sure our focus is on the right topic.. let us not waste energy bearing down on whether or not we are to be offensive.. obviously we are not to be offensive.
We are supposed to present the truth in love.
The first truth-, is that -,Jesus is Lord.
The second truth-,
is that this country was founded to present the gospel to the world.
That is the only reason this country was founded..to present the gospel to the world-, and if we do not present the truth in love- the truth about EVERYTHING- not about *just – Jesus, but about everything- then America will wind up in the condition that we are in now-, and that is-, weak and effeminate Christians hiding under the gospel.
Remember God chose Israel-, but America chose God.
Let us stop the charade of being holier than thou
. So far it has gotten us nowhere
Thank you. I often think how Paul and all the disciples, followers and prophets spoke the truth, boldly. I especially think of John The Baptist regarding the sinful nature of the king. He exposed it without regret.
With that being said, the only way out of this disaster is if this country came back to Christ…a great awakening. No politician, no laws, spending or whatever will save us, only Christ can by changing the hearts of the people.
There’s a quote read today by George Orwell—there’s truth to it:
“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
—George Orwell
Telling the truth and seeking justice is Biblical and only to the tyrant it is offensive.
Mike.. we must present the truth to people. Yes it has to be in love. But I do not believe you are wrong in continuing to present facts and figures and documentation.. in fact we are called to present evidence accurately.. in fact-, by refusing to get the vaccine.. which is really experimental Gene therapy.. you helped us all by being one less person to carry the poison around inside of you- which is then transferable to other people. You also helped to eliminate or at least control- the fear that the globalist intend to spread by dividing us into the vaccinated and unvaccinated.. which otherwise the only method of controlling that division- is by pretending-,or just not talking about it out loud-,which is unacceptable. And last but not least- you preserved your own health. We have yet to see the extent in the long term of the effect of this ungodly and horrendous thing that they have duped the masses into injecting themselves with.
Very well said! Thank you for the reminder. Jesus, help your bride to love, think and act like you have taught us.
We are in a battle with a very real enemy. May we all come to realize that as Christians, we are on the same side, and should not be trying to take one another out.
I so liked this article, God was certainly taking to me.
Me too!
This is SO true. We must be in tune with God the Holy Spirit to be able to speak with love for each other. It is possible to express your opinion on a subject in a Christian and loving way if we stop and think. We are not of this world. Think of how God loved each one of us so much that He sent His Son,Jesus, to be a sacrifice for our sin. We are to be judged by Jesus alone and no Christian really has a right to criticize another in the ugly way the non-believers do. James 1:19 “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 1:20 For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” These verses have really helped me. It’s a good practice to know your spiritual weaknesses and memorize verses of the Bible to help you stay on track with God.
What a beautifully written article on how to use the Bible and discuss issues as God has taught us…love one another in all ways! Thank you,
God bless IFA,
💞
I would like to know the content of the talk between Dr. Brown and the LGBTQ community. He may have additional insight into how to handle these confrontations.
Ellen, I heard the story on a podcast from Frontier Alliance International from his copastor Scott Volk. The episode is called The New Middle East Episode 8; Scott Volk and the Way Forward. I believe it is on the FAI app and YouTube.
I want to thank you for that article. I’ve NEVER replied to any online site, but felt the need tonight. Your words encouraged me to be more thoughtful of others with options different than mine and to take the time to listen. The Dr Brown story was the kicker. Please continue to bless with your work. GOD’S BLESSINGS.
Criticism,or praise should be treated like perfume- sniffed but not swallowed
Wonderful article… wise, sensitive, yet a
Profound exhortation for us to yield to the Spirit when dealing with difficult disagreements, controversial differences on theology or beliefs.
I am glad to see IFA post on this subject, as I am writing a book on it, and I am ;thankful to learn from other authors.
John 13:15 says that the world will know us as true Christ followers by our love one for another. The paradigm shift hit me recently that the fullness of this verse was not necessarily 10 pastors from different churches getting together to love on one another. Even worldly people do that with people who agree with them, as Matthew 5:46 says. What would stand out to the world would be Christians responding in a Matthew 5:44 spirit of love (loving enemies) toward other Christians who attack them.
Lori…
This article was soooo good! Thank you for such clear and important instruction on this issue.
I believe one of the marks of this next revival will be unity in the body of Christ. They will know the Father sent the Son if we love one another.
Psalm 133 speaks of how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity. The unpacking of that description likens it to the anointing oil running down Aaron’s beard to the edges of his robe and the blessing of the Lord – even life forevermore. Holy Spirit is poured out when brothers dwell together in unity.
Thanks again for sharing these insights.
Lori, the prayer call today was wonderful – lots of insight and wisdom from all of you. The revelation about Caleb and Joshua is paradigm-shifting if our focus in prayer is “all about me”, instead of all about God’s will and purposes being established. Sometimes we do suffer, not because of our own sins, but because of the sins of others. It is then, under that pressure that we must be willing to suffer without becoming bitter – to exude the beautiful fragrance of a crushed rose.
I didn’t catch the Scripture reference for one thing Judy shared about “He will not fear bad news.” Was it Psa. 112:7-8? So many translations make it hard to use a concordance. Both it and Psa. 37 and the above about Caleb and Joshua were excellent reminders for me about how to respond to ‘evil reports’ which surround us.
Thank you again!
Thank you for praying with us on the webcast today, Mary Beth! Yes, the verse was Psalm 112:7-8. I memorized it from the 1984 NIV version.
I had an encounter with a good friend during the push for the covid shot. This friend was angry at me for not getting the shot and continued to blast me with everything she could. I just listened and when she was through chastising me, I simply said I respected her decision to have the shot, and I would appreciate if she respected my decision not to have it. I had no ill words for her. She calmed down and agreed that we all have our own opinions. That was the Holy Spirit working through me because I really wanted to just end the conversation, but Holy Spirit spoke through me to be loving and patient.
I love this message. Thank you for what you are doing. We are to stand out from the world not be apart of it. We can love on sinners without being apart of the sin or sacrificing our Biblical beliefs. Moses did not enter the promised land because of his anger even though he really had every reason in his flesh to act out but it hurt Gods intent and Moses must have lost some trust in the Lord at this point.
It is fantastic how Trump can be so vile in his speech and have such a following. The more they condemn him for more followers. He is standing against Liberals and for that I’m thankful but his word choices are not Godly but I believe very deliberate. He knows what the public wants. I love the daily wire but some are rude in how they come off but something tells me it’s okay. We need to stand firm. There are some on there with strong Christian values as well. I’m thankful for what they are doing. So there is some grey area. But I know the Bible is the first and foremost authority not these people but we are outsiders looking in and taking on this perspective. It’s fascinating. One final thought.
I am concerned of my father who is an active believer and is so tightly wound in the Liberal side of this whole mess and doesn’t see the liberals are so anti God and conservatives are pro God the values support the Bible. I also have a friend who is in the same boat. I don’t understand this. Makes me second guess myself and I don’t know how to lovely help them understand or open their eyes. They feel I am blind and I feel they are blind. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.
Early on was the mention of Covid disagreements. We do need to pray for our government health care systems and the debate/discussion around those topics.
To change the topic to health concerns, I would suggest reading “Turtles All The Way Down” , a well researched book on child vaccine safety.
I had a dream a few weeks ago. I got into a fight with someone, and they didn’t make it. I woke up, and thought what a horrible dream it was. I had never had a dream like it, and wondered what it meant.
Later that day, I got into a verbal altercation with one of my siblings, after some provocation. They were slandering me, and I responded back in kind. Not a great moment for either of us.
A couple days later, we made up. We prayed about it. And then again, another day or two, later I was reading Psalms, and The LORD יהוה revealed it to me:
Psalm 139:4
King James Version
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
And then The New Testament flashed in my mind:
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The LORD יהוה told me what was going to happen with my dream. Before I even said it, he showed me what my words were going to do. That our words can be life or death. This was a vision given to me for all people, that to hate in your heart truly is murder in the eyes of The LORD, not just a cute passage or a metaphor.
I shared this revelation with my sibling, and I want to share it with you all. I repent in the Mighty Name Of Jesus Christ, and Our Heavenly Father who sent him. His standards are beyond our own. We truly do need to mind our words very very carefully. I will continue to do my absolute best. 🙏✡️✝️❤️🙏
Regarding the article itself, truly a great article! Very similar point to what I had recently received.
My personal belief and philosophy? If we share it online, we should be prepared to defend it online. Of course, some responses aren’t worth dignifying! But I believe, just like we are to confess Christ publicly, we should be able to defend Christ publicly as well, with at least a certain amount of apologetics. I feel the same with any idea we share online. We should be able to explain our reasoning behind it, either biblically , scientifically, or personally. But, most importantly, as the whole point of the article states! We should be able to have a responsible, loving and friendly dialogues, and speak and think reasonably and with discernment. We don’t need to tear each other apart if we are all on the same quest for knowledge, and after the Heart of The LORD!
Also: probably 50% of comments are left by BOTS!! Bots gaslighting people all over the internet is a humongous component of what is going on online. I personally find living our lives OFFLINE in a way that glorifies Christ, and working with flesh and blood as He did, is the best way to show a living example of the fruits of the spirit, and demonstrate that He Is The LORD and worthy of following.
Thank you, Lori,
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now let us reason together,” says the Lord.
Beautiful. Thank you 🥹
What a wonderful article! Every point was thoroughly covered in a Christlike manner. From my viewpoint, there were “ No holes” in your thinking. ( Many times, a person can say, “ Yes, but what about _____?”) The author has thoughtfully answered every question that occurs in uncomfortable disagreement and our responses. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for a well written article. The body of Christ is SO guilty of judging others just because they do not agree with us. We don’t ever think that we are wrong. I am finding that some of the things that I thought were Scriptural in my upbringing are totally wrong. However, I had to walk for many years and have Holy Spirit guide me into mature thinking. I think many of those who are so critical are still ‘playing’ around like children, babies. They have not dug into the Word themselves and allowed Holy Spirit to teach them at the level of maturity they are. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to show LOVE not criticism to other believers. And pray for one another that we will be ‘healed’ from that attitude.
This article was very done!! I sincerely applaud you!! I have written on a piece of note paper a few months ago Ps. 19:14 and taped it to my prayer closet: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer”. This helps me set the tone for my day . . . whether those words are spoken with my mouth or typed out and posted online.
Once again, I thank you for your article and a job well done!
In His Service,
Kevin
agree – see post “the prayer closet” at http://www.mtothe5th.wordpress.com (or “calling down the Kingdom”)
Thank you – that was a great article and ministered to me. Have a blessed and beautiful day.
Amen!!! This is excellent. Our love for God demonstrated through our motives is first and foremost. We ask for Holy Spirit help to live Ephesians 4.
I appreciate your article. But, may I say that while I agree with you because you have used the Word of God, the church seems to agree with those, especially in leadership, who are mean-spirited. This should not be. We are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are to stand out from the norm. You have taken a lot of time to write this article and I commend you. I am praying that we, as the Body of Christ, will choose this day who we are going to serve. We can’t have it both ways. Be blessed.
I agree with you, Jacquelyn Amen, that is true, we cannot serve satan. And the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to serve only one in Jesus Christ name.
Thank you, Lori! It is so easy to lose sight, at least clear sight, when we operate out of anger, strife, fear, pride, offense, or any other log-producing attitudes. And I’ve been convicted of all of the above at one point or another in my walk with Yeshua, especially in relation to intercession. While most of these attitudes are simply sinful and need to be repented of and be delivered from, anger is sometimes a bit more tricky to deal with. There is such a thing as righteous anger, although I admit more often than not, mine is not righteous. But some of the issues intercessors deal with should arouse righteous anger – especially injustice to the vulnerable, weak, and innocent. For me, especially it is issues with children who are victims. There are several Scriptures that come to mind, principles that the LORD highlighted for me as I’ve been learning to examine, channel, control, express etc. my anger. “Be angry but don’t sin.” Eph. 4:26 So anger itself may not be sinful, but how we act and speak when angry, which are dealt with in verses 29-32 of that same chapter, may be sin. God Himself gets angry, but His is always righteous – borne out of His absolute holiness. But He who has every right to get angry “is slow to anger” Nahum 1:3, Jonah 4:2 (and several others), and we should be as well. “Therefore, my dear brothers, let every person be quick to listen but slow to speak, slow to get angry, for a person’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness!” James 1:19
Witchcraft prayers can easily arise out of log-producing attitudes, so it is wise and prudent to ask Holy Spirit to reveal what is at the root of our sinful attitudes, and root them out before they produce foul fruit that poisons not only us, but the family of God.
LORD, please forgive me for any and all sinful attitudes, which do not accomplish Your righteousness. Cleanse and purify me. I do not want to grieve You, Holy Spirit, so set a watch upon my mind, emotions, and will.
Thank you Lori for writing an excellent, Biblical and much needed article to address the huge need for respectful and loving dialogue within His Body! This subject is in a test case situation currently in our Bible study group as we share some different viewpoints of eschatology while we’re going through the book of the Revelation. We keep listening to one another and Holy Spirit as He continues to open our eyes and give us new understanding, both in study at home and as we meet to study and share together. Thankfully most persons in the study are all humble, mature believers so we are experiencing the loving dynamics of “iron sharpening iron” and having numerous opportunities to exercise restraint. humility and continuing to study in His Word while being open to rethinking previous viewpoints. It’s a wonderful journey to share with other believers who are open to the ongoing process of His work of grace to transform each of us into becoming more like Yeshua and less like our old self.
Thank you IFA for your vital ministry of prayer and articles written by fellow intercessors with boots on the ground in many locations. I’m looking forward to the next article!
Lori,
Your message was not only timely but so well written – it really resonated with me because there is so much evil and hatred posted on social media every day it is clear to me that is a big reason why we are a very divided and angry society. It is very easy to trash talk people when you will never see them in person. I am praying that people will read and share your article with others so we can learn to disagree in a way that honors our Lord. Thank you.
Thank you for this insightful & very much needed article on communication in the Body of Christ. It’s excellent!
Brothers and sisters, as I’ve grown in the Lord you begin to recognize some grow faster than others and some don’t grow at all because Christ doesn’t live in them. I told my Pastor 10 years ago I felt like God was already making it evident who was born again and who was playing church. Don’t lump them together and get discouraged when many have head knowledge (not godly wisdom) and some are born again. God bless you.
Thank you for this very timely needed reminder to all of us to continue to grow and walk in Christ’s love!
Thank you for this message & truth.
Beautifully written! I am sorry Lori that you and so many have experienced this from fellow believers. Our God has to be so grieved over this and when the Bible says they shall know us by our fruit, much of the fruit is damaged, diseased and rotten. May God intervene and change our hearts to see clearly hiw the enemy has been let in. Keep the faith in God’s strength as we continue to unite in praise and prayer.
Wow! Christ delivered a powerful message through you. Thank you for listening to Him and sharing here. Confrontation is difficult for a Christian, at least for me. I liked that you noted silence doesn’t always mean agreement but it shows the love of Christ in us.
Lori, this was so wonderfully written and full of grace. I could just sense the Holy Spirit while reading this. I pray this blesses every intercessor who comes across it. This is a now word, not just for IFA but all social media platforms.
Blessings
Thank you for these words of guidance and teaching – we all need instruction on watching our words – whether face to face or online. I am reminded of Colossians 4:6 – “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Only the Holy Spirit can help me in this area – my greatest fear is that my words would be stumbling blocks – my greatest desire and joy is that my words would be stepping stones to Jesus Christ, Himself. No greater privilege than that. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” http://www.mtothe5th.wordpress.com
This is an article much needed in this day. We have too many that seem to be desperate to be offended and too many that are offended if we express any disagreement with any words they spew. Especially if they are spewing words that are causing division in the body. My response has been to pray for healing and deliverance from the spirit of offense.
This is a good word. Thank-you!
Spot on! Christ centered all the way.
Great message for today, thank you! I sure wish that I had read this yesterday. My wife and I were to have a picnic at our home on Labor Day. Several hours before company was coming over, a child, a grown man, was invited. This man is pure evil. My heart tells me to take evil away from me, there is enough criticism around here, as you have mentioned already. I should have welcomed this man into my home. My words to my wife were not the best, I’m sure. Not hurtful words, but negative for allowing an evil person over to our home. The picnic was moved to another home. So I have to remove the log in my eye. Ouch!!
Thank you for your message today!
Craig
I so appreciate IFA for synthesizing issues each week. We are hard pressed on every side and have so much flying at us at all times. IFA is an integral part of trying to make sense of it all. We must always keep this discourse open and we as a citizenry must learn how, once again, to have respectful public discourse. People have become so lost in technology that they’ve forgotten how to interact with one another, even down to simple manners of greeting (i.e. astonishing how many people don’t know how to respond when you say “Good Morning”!)
Father God, our world is changing rapidly and it is more critical than ever that we abide in You and walk in Your ways, treating one another with love. It does not mean we ignore difficult topics, or accept things we disagree with, but help us to keep the lines of communication open to help grow our nation and our world closer to You. Help us to interact respectfully with one another, even in basic greetings, to show that we have consideration one for another. In Jesus’ name, amen.
We need to be ambassadors for Christ, which involves the process of dying to self.
Hi, I really enjoyed your article! I am really struggling, I recently was rather radically born again, my boyfriend is not. However the real issue is he treats me rather disrespectful, and is constantly texting, calling other women, watches pornography, compares me to other women, and when I get upset, he tells me I’m not his mother, I’m abusing him, etc. We have other issues as well where I feel unloved, devalued, and resentful, and I often respond in ways that are angry and really pretty abusive as well. He is financially dependant on me and there is no immediate way out of this for either of us. How do you biblically respond to someone who repeatedly says they are sorry and love you then continues to disrespect you? At what point do you draw the line? Are we supposed to be doormats for the sake of remaining quiet and humble? Am I crazy thinking this is lack of love and fidelity to me? Please pray for me to have peace and respond in a Godly manner. Any input would be great, as I can’t seem to shake this feeling of being angry and I know I’m going off the deep end.
Le Donna, praise the Lord for your transfer from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light! We rejoice with you. We are not counselors here at IFA so cannot comment on you personal life except to suggest that you study God’s word about Godly relationships. When I became born again in 1992, there were many relationships I had to sever because they were ungodly. Ask Holy Spirit to guide you. He is an excellent teacher and certainly find a pastor or older Godly mentor to help you grow in Christlikeness. Thank you for your kind wrds.
Le Donna, Remember you are beautiful & on a new journey, seek God for the path He desires for you to take, He’ll not direct you wrongly! Each of us will be praying for you as you seek wisdom my dear, In Jesus Holy Name, Amen
Thank you for this article giving some rules of engagement, especially for Christ followers. My prayer for the Body of Christ is that the LORD create in us clean hearts and renew a right spirit within us(His spirit of thinking, speaking, doing right, just being righteous). May we always strive to be good ambassadors for Christ. God bless you and IFA.
Thank you for this as this has been the topic of conversations I’ve been having with the Lord!
Thank you IFA for incredible balanced articles each week. I find them encouraging and directive for my prayer life.
Thank you for reminding us that we all need to renew our minds daily. I have never commented on line to posts I disagree with but often comment out loud to myself and many times the comments are not christ like. I am looking forward to more teaching on the topic.
Lori, this article is beautiful written and much needed in this time of upheaval in our country if not the world. It seems the evil one is fighting hard against the revival of Jesus Christ that is happening across the world. I pray for deserment and strength to remove the logs to interact with clear understanding of how our Lord would have handled these situations. In Jesus Christ name Amen.
Thank you Lori for and IFA for this article. I realize more in these last weeks than ever before that the force for good is in the power of words. Reading this morning and praying for my armour to be strong, for the first time I realized the power of words is the glue holding all the parts of my armour together. And, I know too now, that the tip of my spear is covered with the power of words.
Thankfully, my comments and social things are good spirited but I caught the warning to not fall in that trap. And, Lori, your words have strengthen me and I look forward to more.
Thank you for this very excellent and timely article. I iwll keep it to read again and again. I would like to contact Lori, the writer, about how to start a prayer group for the US.
Thanks again and God bless IFA!
Janet McPhilimy
Lori, this article provides an excellent guide for all of us. I took notes.
Father, I pray that Your body will no longer bite and devour one another. Instead, help me and each of us to take the log out of our own eyes. Help us to encourage those leading us, helping us to grow and mature. Pour out your favor upon the writers and all staff of IFA. Protect them from all attacks of the enemy. May their days be filled with joy and all goodness in the Lord. Amen.
I am glad to see an article from IFA on this topic which is a daily happening to us. Thank you Lori for helping me to remember that silence can be golden
As a nurse in today’s climate , I find myself in daily situations similar to this topic and I have to learn on the Holy Spirit. I look forward to the next article on this topic.
Thank you so much for this article, Lori. I have been concerned and have felt badly about some of the negative opinions in the comment section. IFA has helped me to focus my prayers on so many important issues and I look forward to each Tuesday’s and Thursday’s prayer times at noon. There are so many wonderful resources it’s mind boggling. Thanks again for all you do!
This article was well written, informative, and much needed in today’s environment. I agree that those who speak out with disrespectful language do injustice to themselves, others, and GOD.
We must return to HIS word, commandments, and teachings by repentance as a Nation. Only with sincere prayer and following HIS word can we begin to heal ourselves, each other , and our America 🇺🇸. Thank you for a wonderful soul searching article and reminder to treat others as we wish to be treated. This article was an eye opener for personal reflection relating to others but most importantly, a reminder to look in the mirror first .
So very well stated, thoughtfully and prayerfully written. Rather than harshly rebuking, a table of kindness was set, similar to Dr. Brown.
Thank you very much for a scriptural and well written approach for dealing with disagreement.
Thank you Lori for putting into words what needs to be expressed. I will pass this article on to my colleagues at WEC in the International Office to pass on from there. Keep writing….