Stuff About Things
A wealthy church—member once asked me if he had heard correctly about a local church trouble. these the men involved? he asked, naming four or five hot-heads. When I answered in the affirmative he said, Go home and forget it! I have mortgages on the homes and businesses of those men, and I can shut them up with a phone call. (Or, words to that effect.)
I dont suppose those men will ever believe that I prevailed upon my friend to cease and desist— insisting that this was not the way Christians conduct their affairs. The battle for mens souls is not fought with financial pressure, court-order, name-calling, or any other carnal weapons. No one was ever converted to the Lord with the tools of the Devil.
For many years I used that story as my best example, outside of the Bible, of carnal weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5) and their misuse. But now I may retire my story in favor of a new one, recently heard, but dating back to World War, II. It seems some woman asked a preacher to assist her in her marital problem; being, in essence, that she felt she could no longer tolerate her husband. The Lords servant, counselor of the distressed, assured the woman that he could help. He then went to the local draft board and managed to have the husband called for active duty. Thats what I call putting real punch into marriage counseling. We sincerely hope he did not have a Bible precedent in mind — that of David and Uriah.
Even the Lords disciples. James and John, thought to wreck a fleshly vengeance on behalf of the Lord, by calling down fire to burn up the opposition (Lu. 9: 53-56): but Jesus said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. (I take this to mean they had the spirit of the Devil in this matter.)
No doubt well-meaning persons today think they can further the Lords cause by whipping the opposition, or beat them at their own game. The result is that both parties join with Satan, and the Lord is forgotten. If we can not capture the heart to the obedience of Christ all else is vain.
The reason many of us use carnal means for seeking our goals, we are trying to satisfy our pride, build up human parties, improve a worldly image, instead of serving the Lord.