[Biblemat] Two different leaders

Fri Oct 19 13:37:34 CDT 2007

Jerry Blount to the list

First a link that fascinated me.  (My son sent it to me.)  It is an animated
timeline (movie?) that shows the growth of various religions through time.
Click on it or paste it into your browser then enjoy. (You'll be glad you
did)

http://mapsofwar.com/images/Religion.swf

Second we are still looking for conservative minded brethren in the Lake of
the Ozarks area of Mo.  Interested in starting a congregation. 

Now..

Today's article will deal with one of the greatest challenges a Christian
"warrior" will ever face.  "When to back down?"  (Yes, Christians are to be
spiritual Warriors, see Ephesians 6.) We are to be a people of courage and
conviction, but sometimes . . . 

Two different leaders

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt
to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if
God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
who are taken captive by him at his will.         II Timothy 2:24-26

Have you noted that often in the Bible you find passages that seem to
contradict? Sometimes the Bible almost appears to instruct you to go in
opposite directions at the same time?  Timothy received the above
instruction to be gentle and patient.  

Paul was at times incredibly harsh. Stephen's sermon is one of the harshest
of the New Testament.  

Acts 7

51.  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist
the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

 52.  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have
slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye
have been now the betrayers and murderers:

 53.  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not
kept it.

 54.  When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they
gnashed on him with their teeth. 

Are Paul and Stephen hypocritical or is the perspective and situation just
different?  Actually understanding whether harshness or restraint is in
order has been the dilemma for all Christians everywhere.  

Some try to just escape the obvious by simplistically quoting Jesus' words
about judging others (Matthew 7:1) and then they run!  They overlook that
Jesus in the same breath called on us to actually judge the hearts of
others, presumably based on their behaviors (Matthew 7:6). No, Jesus didn't
contradict Himself; He taught us how to approach the multiple dilemmas of
life. 

To be a leader among men is one of those "secret" male ambitions.  The way
we set out to express that side of the male ego can make all the difference
in the world.   

When to judge and when to refrain.  When to stand and do battle and when to
withdraw.  This is the dilemma of leadership in home, the community , the
church and the nation.  Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is when you
stand and fight. then lose. 

Image:Robert Edward Lee.jpgTo illustrate one solution to this dilemma lets
consider the memories of two of the secular world's most famous fallen
warriors, Robert E Lee and Adolf Hitler.  One is remembered (even in the
north) with respect almost to the point of veneration.  The other is
remembered simply as a mad man.  

These men were more alike than we care to admit...

1) Both men easily left more than a million dead in their wake. 

            (Lee's activities killed more Americans by far than Hitler's)

2) Both men (whether we agree with them or not) had a fairly well defined
set of values.             In fact Hitler wrote a book warning the world of
his intentions (Mein Kampf).  

3)  Both men set out to accomplish their goals on the battle field. 

With so much in common, what is the difference?

Image:Adolf Hitler cph 3a48970.jpgWhen Robert E Lee saw that his hearts
desire would not be achieved on the battlefield, he faced some tough
choices. 

1)  Lee could have continued the civil war at least two more years as it
was.

2)  Lee could have divided his forces into roughly 4 large guerrilla groups
and carried on for 5 to 10 years.  

3)  Lee saw the pain and knew when to quit

Adolf Hitler on the other hand was perfectly willing to lead his country
into total destruction rather than face the obvious.  

1) Hitler took school kids and forced them to face machine guns

2) Hitler ordered his troops to stand to the last man even when nothing was
left to stand for.  

3) Hitler believed the German people had failed to live up to their
"calling" and deserved what they got.  

In the end Robert E. Lee was a warrior that also understood the tragedy of
warfare.  Hitler, by contrast, loved it.  

Do you feel like you know these men?

You will see a scaled down version of each of these attitudes in the
neighborhood, and in the church.

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their
contentions are like the bars of a castle. Proverbs 18:19

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the
judge standeth before the door.  James 5:9

Yours in Christ 

Jerry Blount

Minister for 

Pleasant Valley church of Christ

3317 Amidon rd. 

Wichita Kansas, 67204

3163204321

WWW.letJesusleadus.org

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