Dealing With Adversaries
How do we decide how to deal with adversaries? In the facebook culture, the two options seem to be public accusation of evil identity and deeds, and unfriending them.
What about the culture which should be ours? The culture of the church is frequently not discernible from facebook or the dog fights Jerry Springer enjoyed displaying on TV. The culture of the Kingdom of Heaven, though, by definition is influenced by the ruling King. He demands that the culture we claim as ours should manifest His identity and His authority.
Josef Tson, relating a need in Romania to some believers in the US, answered a question about sacrifice he was making for the Kingdom by saying that there are times when we are given the privilege of introducing wolves to the Lamb of God. In some of those times, the method of introduction we are called use is to bare our necks to the wolves. After a wolf has tasted our blood, we can say, “Now, taste the Lord, and discover that He is even more good than that.”
Learning to influence from a position that resembles a cross is training for being trusted to influence from a throne. David learned how to reign by living through the murderous persecution of Saul.