Kevin wrote: > Is there then not supposed to be any > contention in public preaching? > LDS say contention is of the devil. > Whay say ye?
Contention (in the KJV use of this word, e.g., Rom. 2:8) and strife are of the flesh. The believer seeks to live peaceably with all men and works to get along. Nevertheless, when the Word of God is declared among sinners, some of them intent upon continuing in sin will mock and deride the preacher and cause contention and strife. Therefore, we should expect contention in public preaching as we seek to persuade sinners to turn away from sin to the Living God, but the preacher should not be trying to stir up strife. He should be seeking to calm the situation and bring peace, while at the same time, he cannot and should not compromise the Word of God. A good street preacher will make liberal use of humor and smile a lot. Holy Hubert was one who was a master at this. He could smile and say his favorite line, "God bless your dirty heart!" and the student knew that Hubert loved them. That did not keep some from stabbing him, shooting him, or beating him up from time to time, but as we see in the Bible, such violent reaction was more the exception than the rule. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
