Friendly Fire

It is a sad fact that sometimes Christians are wounded by the words and actions of other Christians, rather than from the blows of the enemy. Few things are more discouraging than the injury suffered at the hands of those who are supposed to be on our side.

It’s important that those who are supposed to be on the Lord’s side not fight among themselves. Now, some people feel that such discord is so dangerous and upsetting that any kind of compromise should be made so that there be no such disagreement. In other words, it is more important that we are on the same side than it is to be on the right side. Others just decide that we can agree to disagree. You go to heaven by one way and I’ll be by another.

Before we go any further, we must point out that there are some things concerning God, the Bible, salvation, and related subjects upon which we simply must agree. If, for example, you do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, Who died to give you hope of eternal life, you are not a candidate for salvation. And no matter how much I like you or think of you, I cannot agree with you and be pleasing to God, nor can I agree to disagree with you and treat you as though your beliefs on the subject of Jesus Christ are acceptable to God or of any value to you in terms of your eternal destiny. Let me also add that disagreeing with someone on this subject does not equal “friendly fire.”

What we mean by “friendly fire” is the harming of brethren unnecessarily. Whether a Christian is defending the truth, or is defending a false doctrine he has come to believe, when he or she defends that position with an attitude that hurts and damages other Christians, he/she is guilty of friendly fire; guilty of doing harm to one who is supposed to be an ally. Some may be puzzled that we included those who are defending the truth in this scenario. It’s true that even those who speak the truth can do so without love and hurt rather than heal. The sword of the Spirit (the word of God, Ephesians 6:17) is very sharp. That means those who handle it (see 2 Timothy 2:15) should be very careful that they do not mishandle it and do damage. Jesus writes: “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it” (James 4:11). We must be very careful not to speak evil of or against our brethren.

How, then, do we reprove and rebuke our brethren, as we are so clearly commanded to do (Titus 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:2)? Well, we have to do it with patience and humility (Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 3:15). We cannot be afraid to wield the sword of the Spirit just because we are afraid we will cut someone. We have to learn to wield it without cutting unnecessarily. Sometimes that’s not very easy, but war is never supposed to be easy. And we are at war! Let’s remember that our brethren, even brethren with whom we disagree strongly, are not the enemy.

Friendly fire is a danger anytime there is conflict. That’s not said as an excuse, but as a warning. It’s a danger we must try very hard to avoid. God loves each one of us and if you have suffered at the hands of your brethren, He knows your pain. And if you have inflicted any such pain, He knows that, too. Peter writes that we are to love the brotherhood (1 Peter 2:17). Earlier he had said, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22). Friends, God loves you and so do I. Let’s be very careful not to hurt and injure with our words, but speak words of encouragement according to the need of the moment (Ephesians 4:29).

Donnie Bates

What Is Your Name?

One of the most pathetic figures in all of Scripture is the Gerasene (or Gadarene) demoniac. I mean pathetic in the most sympathetic way. The story is found in Mark 5:1-20. Are you familiar with the story? It’s the one where Jesus allowed the demons who had possessed this man to go into a herd of swine who promptly demonstrated their intolerance for such foolishness by running headlong into the lake and drowning.

I called this man “pathetic.” Part of the definition of “pathetic” is “pitiable” or “evoking pity.” You cannot read about this man’s life without feeling sorry for him. How awful to live your life like this! I know he was possessed by demons, and we cannot be so possessed today, but I’m not talking about the cause of his condition. I want you to just consider the condition itself. This man lived in the tombs away from the townspeople because he was so violent. He could not be bound even with chains. He didn’t wear clothes and he was in such torment that “…constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). Isn’t that just horrible?

I have to tell you, my life doesn’t seem so bad. How about yours? You may very well have been in such agony (either in physical pain or in mental anguish) that you actually cried out. I have. Many people have. But how bad does your life have to be that you spend all night and day crying out and gashing yourself with stones? Why would a person do that? I have a theory. I suspect his mental anguish was so bad that the physical pain he was inflicting upon himself would have been a relief. Now that’s pathetic! That is worthy of our pity!!

I’m not completely sure whose idea it was for this man to approach Jesus. It could have been the demon’s idea, or it could have been a desperate attempt by the man himself to finally be free. Whoever had the idea, he found himself bowed before Immanuel (God with us). You may be the kind of person who, at the first sign of trouble, runs to God in prayer. That’s good and I commend your for it. Don’t stop doing that! However, you may be the kind of person who runs blindly in any direction at the first sign of trouble. Maybe you panic is your effort to find an answer to your problems. Sometimes even people who respond this way find themselves suddenly confronted with God and His Word. Regardless of your initial reaction to the threat, you have the opportunity to be free.

I really don’t mean this note to be about demon possession or specifically what to do when this problem or that assails you in life. I just wanted to offer a note of encouragement by looking at such a pitiable character as this man whose life was worse than I can even imagine and how he ended up. After the demons left and went into the swine, he was a different man. When the people from town came out, they “…observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind…” (Mark 5:15). After meeting Jesus, he was cured. He was free! His life was back to normal, well, on its way to normal, anyway. I’m sure he had a lot of convincing to do with some of his neighbors.

Your life and mine can seem pretty desperate sometimes, I know. Even with some preacher telling you (or writing you) that your life is not as bad as some guy who was possessed by a whole bunch of demons, your life may still seem pretty bad; your “demons” just as real. I will not try and argue with you and tell you that you’re not as bad off as you think. I WILL tell you that there is a place you can go for relief. That place is before Jesus on your knees. If you go there and humble yourself in His presence, give yourself completely to Him (obeying all His commands in faith) you will be as healed and freed of the things that afflict you in this life as this demoniac.

This story lifts me up and encourages me more than any other case of Jesus healing or feeding or working other miracles. I hope it encourages you. I want you to be free of whatever keeps you from being what God wants you to be. I want your mind to be at peace and God can give you that peace, if you will just take it on His terms. He offers peace because He loves you and I write this to you because I love you, too.

Donnie Bates