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NASB | 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 13:1 ¶ If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God's love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. |
Bible Question:
Loud Mouthed Christian: Help! I have a friend who believes in the sovereignty of God to the extent that it seems to be causing problems. I'm not sure how to help her. She is convinced that God puts people in her path so that she might 'bless' them by exercising her gift of teaching. Due to God’s sovereignty, she believes that her thoughts at the time of her 'divine appointments' are ordered by God and that she should speak them (all). The problem is, she exercises little or no restraint in what she says. In her mind, its all from God. Since she believes her thoughts at those times are placed there by God, they should be a blessing to others. She pours out thought after thought, much of it unrelated to the person’s actual needs. She goes on and on like a person starved for conversation. She dominates all bible studies, prayer groups and individual conversations. It drives everyone, including her leaders, nuts. She believes that God's word doesn't return void and she is therefore justified spouting off whatever happens to come to her. She has been confronted many times by others, including pastors, to tone it down but she can't seem to receive it. I mentioned to her that her 'teaching ministry' might be more effective in the Church if Christians were open to hearing what she has to say, but that her style has alienated almost everyone. Her response was that Jesus didn't worry about what people thought of him and he didn't try to censor what he had to say just to placate his listeners and so neither should she (so much for my first argument). I also told her that some thoughts are probably not from God and that she should therefore be slow to speak them. I also told her that some of her thoughts are likely for her only and not for sharing with others. Between these two circumstances a lot of her thoughts would therefore not be appropriate to speak out. These ideas seemed new to her but she still shows no signs of slowing down. She is so used to people slamming her that she has her defenses in high gear. I've been praying for her and believe God has a place in his body for her. She is otherwise lovely and committed. Please pray for her and if you have some scriptures that might help her please pass them on to me. |
Bible Answer: Sunday1, I have three possible answers for you having dealt with a situation just like this before. 1) Try the spirits. Consider the possibility that she's telling the truth, and learn what you can. If it so happens that she really is gifted by God, perhaps you aren't listening. Be careful also not to ridicule the Spirit of God if that is in fact the case. Again, try the spirits. If what she says is sound, then maybe she's being truthful, however irritating it might be. If some of what she says does not conform to the doctrine of Christ, rebuke her sharply, with sound, contextual scripture, and tell her plainly that she is mistaken. Hear no more on the subject so she will get the point. 2) With a spirit of love, endure all things, be patient, kind, and longsuffering. If this thing makes her happy, endure it for her sake. If she is bothering everyone around her, try option number three. 3) Prov 26:3 "A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools." In other words, stop beating around the bush trying to be nice about it. If she's driving people away, or saying things she ought not to, tell her plainly to be quiet. Don't request. The time is past for that if you are on this option. Tell her to be quiet. This will hurt her feelings, so it is the least desirable option, but when all else fails, this is sometimes the only thing that will work. Sometimes it takes the shock of having your feelings hurt to wake you up to what you're doing. The liklihood is high that despite all the admonitions she's received, she hasn't gotten the point that she's irritating people. She probably doesn't believe it to be so. This is the reason for the shock. Few people ever humble themselves or learn humility. They are humbled and learn humiliation. My options are not the only ones out there. If they can be of help, I'm glad to be of assistance. Ancient |