How To Deal With Accusations And Criticisms - Deut 19:17-20

How to Deal With Accusations and Criticism - Deut 19:17-20

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, Who is the leader and the Source of our Faith and also its finisher (bringing our faith to maturity and perfection). He for the joy (Of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2)

Illustration:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

Harrison’s Postulate.

It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.

Disraeli.

Illustration:A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring to him--too far behind the times, tiresome tunes and meaningless words. His father put an end to his son’s complaints by saying, "If you think you can write better hymns, then why don’t you?" The boy went to his room and wrote his first hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." The year was 1690, the teenager was Isaac Watts. "Joy to the World" is also among the almost 350 hymns written by him.

Source Unknown.

Most carnal people would think twice about jumping on the bandwagon of accusations if they read Deuteronomy 19:17-20 that says, "The two men involved in a dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and judges. The judges must make a thorough investigation and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid and never again will such an evil thing be done among you." You might enjoy comparing and contrasting the ways that are often used by the members of the reactionary religious right to control people with the use of fear, guilt and shame.

Illustrations;

Heaven is close enough for souls in torment to glimpse; far enough away for them to forever miss what could have been theirs.

Based on Luke 16:19-31

John Tillotson said, "He who provides for this life, but does not take care for eternity, is wise for a moment, but a fool forever."

“We are too busy making money, paying our bills, trying to scramble to the top of the heap, and facing life’s challenges in general… Our attention is fastened almost solely upon this world, and we give scarcely a thought to the next.”

On one occasion Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, the agnostic lecturer of the last century, was announced to give an address on hell. He declared he would prove conclusively that hell was a wild dream of some scheming theologians who invented it to terrify credulous people. As he was launching into his subject, a half-drunken man arose in the audience and exclaimed, "Make it strong, Bob. There’s a lot of us poor fellows depending on you. If you are wrong, we are all lost. So be sure you prove it clear and plain."

No amount of reasoning can nullify God’s sure Word. He has spoken as plainly of a hell for the finally impenitent as of a heaven for those who are saved.

But there’s another side. G.K. Chesterton once remarked, "Hell is God’s great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human personality." Hell, a compliment? Yes, because God is saying to us, "You are significant. I take you seriously. Choose to reject me -- choose hell if you will. I will let you go."

The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions.

If you in any way abate the doctrine of hell, it will abate your zeal.

The safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. C.S. Lewis.

No one who is ever in hell will be able to say to God, "You put me here," and no one who is in heaven will ever be able to say, "I put myself here."

Cable television’s Ted Turner, who has condemned abortion foes as "bozos" who "look like idiots," recently lashed out at Christianity. "Christianity is a religion of losers," Turner told the Dallas Morning News. Referring to Christ’s death on the cross, Turner said, "I don’t want anybody to die for me. I’ve had a few drinks and a few girlfriends, and if that’s gonna put me in hell, then so be it." Turner also told a group of broadcasters, "Your delegates to the United Nations are not as important as the people [broadcasters] in this room. We are the ones who determine what the people’s attitudes are. It’s in our hands."