am not going to get into specifics here because I’m not going to try to make an issue out of the specifics, but the last few days have brought some hurt here in the blogosphere. And I know I am not the only one who has been hurt.
My previous post definitely came from my heart, as I have experienced the “fire” and “hammer” quite a bit from a few others lately. Not the “fire” and “hammer” of the Word of God, but the “fire” and “hammer” of plain old criticism and judgment. In many ways, it has crossed the line into outright slander.
As I’ve talked with my wife about it, and done some very serious thinking, I have come to the conclusion that Christ is not in that. There are a lot of good, Christ-honoring blogs out there. But there are also some which seem to do more harm than good. This is not the first time I’ve seen the bad side of blogging. And it may not be the last. But this time, it has hurt a bit more deeply than before.
With that in mind, I want to publicly reaffirm some goals that I have for this blog. I am blessed to interact with some really wonderful people here, and I have grown quite fond of those of you that I get to interact with. So here, in no particular order, are some of the things that I pray will be true, and remain true, of this blog:
I pray that God receives glory from this blog, and that you each are blessed both here and (if you have them) on your own blogs.
I pray that this will always be a place where disagreement among believers is tempered with love and grace.
I pray that, while we may differ with each other, that we will never lose sight of what binds us together. For those of us here who are in Christ, we are truly bound together by His Spirit. It continues to amaze me that there is some very sweet fellowship here between simple church advocates and conventional church pastors, cessationists and continuationists, Calvinists and non-Calvinists… Not every discussion on this blog has been easy, and very few of them end up with either party changing their position — but we’ve learned a lot from each other, and we respect each other for their positions.
I pray that, no matter what takes place on this blog, that I will never present myself as being unteachable or above questioning on anything. I’m not looking for people to follow me. I’m looking for people to walk alongside me as I follow Christ. Even though this blog has my name and picture on it, that is only because I’m the one hosting the discussion.
Finally, I pray that all of our speech here will be continually subjected to the standards of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks again to all of you who have made this blog a great place for interaction. Have a blessed remainder of the week!
Until next time,
steve 
Good, wholesome goals that result in good fellowship. Thanks for the reminder, Steve.
“Christians” who regard it their duty to be antagonistic in the name of Christ, as if He were turf to be protected against the unholy touch of dirty hordes, just don’t get it: belonging to Him means we are altered to our very core into beings who are residents of heaven and aliens here. As such, the competitive and possessive nature which is natural to residents of fallen earth is no longer our nature.
Failing to reflect such a change in our words and attitudes, no matter how much scripture we reference, is exactly Christ’s description, “…out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Judge the tree by the fruit. That which is the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, is from the opposite spirit, the spirit of anti-Christ. When you hear someone reference scripture to support a position but who uses words/tones of hate, joylessness, anxiety, impatience, unkindness, malevolence, unfaithful to Christ’s example, lack of gentleness, and lacking control of their attitudes isn’t that a clue there is no scriptural basis for their position?
It will undoubtedly be pointed out that Christ overturned the money-changers tables and did so with a whip. A clearer picture of God’s heart of fire cannot be found. In the convenant of the Cross, the Temple of Soloman is a type and shadow of the reality of God dwelling in human temples–us. Could it be that God’s anger, as demonstrated within the context of said type and shadow temple, is directed at those who would change believers from people of prayer and worship in fellowship with the Father into sources of income manipulated by overbearing, burdensome teaching?
(Please infer that I know there are teachers of purity and love, dedicated to God and His people in contrast with hirelings and wolves in sheep’s clothing.)
Real life: A few years ago, I went to a meeting in a home to hear a teacher generating tremendous excitement among believers I knew. I heard a very wrong spirit in the man, though he taught forcifully with clarity and passion. When he introduced his wife, I knew I had heard the spirit of him correctly. She smiled a forced, fake smile while looking mostly down and never making eye contact with those gathered. I felt her oppression and knew he sought to likewise oppress God’s people as a source of income. Later, I became aware he was shopping for a Jaguar and pressuring a wealthy friend to fund a building.
Two years later, he is in disgrace, separated from his wife and under court injunction to stay away from her, working a secular job without a following.
Lesson? All who spout scripture are not pure. The spirit of the package is a clear indicator.
God bless you in these goals, Steve. I pray that your blog will continue to be what I have always found it to be: that is a place where I can be challenged, enjoy Christian fellowship and see Christ exalted.
BTW, I finally got “Pachelbel” as my anti-spam word.
Steve,
I am so sorry you have been wounded by the body of Christ….unfortunately this is a common occurence I fear and the reason so many of our dear brothers and sisters withdraw themselves from fellowship and sometimes even from Christ, himself. When will we as believers learn and truly believe that “if you do it unto the least of these, His brethren, you have done it unto Him.” Be healed, my brother, by the brothers and sisters around you that carry you before the Lord and stand beside you in Him.
I am so thankful for this little side of the blogosphere. I so enjoy all of our interactions. Thanks to everyone for serving up grace instead of slinging mud! It is wonderful to disagree without being disagreeable:)
I wish I had the time to check out all of the blogs you read, but my job just doesn’t allow it. Thanks for the list however.
I have tried to comment many times on your site, but have ended up deleting them before I send them. I always end up second guessing myself.
Today however, as I lie on my bed in a hotel in NJ, I was catching up on your blog and felt the urege to actually post something.
I however, just deleted it. I’m laughing with a sigh right now.
Steve — I must admit that I have been preoccupied with events at church and have not been trolling the blogosphere lately, so I am unsure what you are referring to.
However, I just want to encourage you, and let you know that I have always felt welcome here. I know that I have not commented here in a while, but I still stop by to read and think about your posts.
Ray
Ray, so good to hear from you, my friend! We miss you around here.
steve
saabinmike,
I’ve deleted more comments than I have ever posted!
I can relate.
ded and saabinmike: Quit deleting your comments!
Sometimes sitting at the computer keyboard becomes so invigorating, I write like I am riding a wild horse.
Unfortunately, the product is usually not fit to read.
Please accept my…er…discretion.
Sometimes sitting at the computer keyboard becomes so invigorating, I write like I am riding a wild horse.
As one of the characters in my current stage company production says (with a stroooong southern accent): “Paints quite a picture, don’t it?”
Christy and I have both laughed pretty hard at this comment of yours, ded!