"A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle."
Proverbs 18:19 (NKJV)
If you are selling a product, promoting some thing or some cause, you naturally want to do whatever you can to get people to buy what you are selling, or join with you in your cause or with what you are trying to promote. If you were selling your product, or you talked to someone about your cause, you would not insult your potential customers or supporters, you would do everything you could to persuade them to like your product or your cause; anything else would be foolish.
As Christians, our standard is the Bible, and the Bible should guide what we do and say. But, it is very obvious that many people today do not accept what the Bible teaches as the truth. So, what should our approach be to those people who do not believe in God and the Bible? Do we want to do things that would easily offend and insult them? Of course not, we want to do everything we can to help them to see the truth that Jesus is The Way, and what the Bible teaches us is the best way to live life.
As it says in Proverbs 18:19, someone offended is hard to reach. While we should never compromise on biblical truth or godly values, is it wise to argue with people about political viewpoints, social issues, or other things that can turn into something offensive and not help to "win people to our side"? We don't want to do things that put up barriers between us and others, because then we will not be able to help those people. Don't let a strong opinion about something that is not of eternal importance ruin your ability to impact someone's life for eternity.
Proverbs 18:19 (NKJV)
If you are selling a product, promoting some thing or some cause, you naturally want to do whatever you can to get people to buy what you are selling, or join with you in your cause or with what you are trying to promote. If you were selling your product, or you talked to someone about your cause, you would not insult your potential customers or supporters, you would do everything you could to persuade them to like your product or your cause; anything else would be foolish.
As Christians, our standard is the Bible, and the Bible should guide what we do and say. But, it is very obvious that many people today do not accept what the Bible teaches as the truth. So, what should our approach be to those people who do not believe in God and the Bible? Do we want to do things that would easily offend and insult them? Of course not, we want to do everything we can to help them to see the truth that Jesus is The Way, and what the Bible teaches us is the best way to live life.
As it says in Proverbs 18:19, someone offended is hard to reach. While we should never compromise on biblical truth or godly values, is it wise to argue with people about political viewpoints, social issues, or other things that can turn into something offensive and not help to "win people to our side"? We don't want to do things that put up barriers between us and others, because then we will not be able to help those people. Don't let a strong opinion about something that is not of eternal importance ruin your ability to impact someone's life for eternity.