Courteous Christians
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” Titus 3:1-2 (emphasis, mine)
I live in the deep South- home of hospitality, neighborly friendliness and random waving at all cars. The South- where any constructive criticism is prefaced with “bless your heart.” Having been raised to say please, thank you, yes ma’am and no sir, courtesy has always been a part of my training and culture.
But more and more, courtesy has become passé. A thing of the past. Rude hand gestures prevail in traffic. Cutting in front of people in line. Telling people off… rudeness abounds where crowds are gathered. A sign of the times, perhaps.
But in the church? In the household of faith? Brethren, these things out not to be! With the advent of a social media culture, ranting, giving full expression to all opinions are the new norm.
But we forget. We forget that our words are to be seasoned with grace. Our words are to be salt and light. Our words are to be an adornment to the gospel of Jesus Christ- making faith appealing to non-believers. Winsome, even!
As the climate becomes more divisive and hate-filled, we, as Christians, have to turn up the light all the more. Even toward people of different denominations, faiths, or political affiliations. We must not vilify others and ruthlessly slam at them on every turn. Labeling diverse opinions as stupid, idiotic, etc., is a sin of pride and deep disrespect.
But what if we disagree? What if we are clearly in the right and they, in the wrong? According to this passage of Scripture we still cannot become quarrelsome and argumentative. We must be gentle, showing perfect courtesy to all people. Courtesy is, at the very heart of it, respectful and honorable. We do not have to agree to show respect of the person- the person created in Christ’s image and for His glory. The person for whom Christ died.
No one likes to be disrespected; doing so immediately puts a wall between us and the other person. What if, instead, we showed love even in the midst of disagreement? What if we sought to be peacemakers in the day of divisive agendas? What if we lived out our convictions rather than shouted them out?
What if we acted in accordance with our identity?
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Cor. 12:27)
We are the hands and feet of Jesus, walking the face of the Earth. We are His mouthpiece. His reflection. His reputation. That always has to be paramount. It has to be more important that being right or even being heard.
Dear Lord, teach us to be the church. Train our minds, our mouths, our hands, our feet to be an exact representation of Your glory. Perfect love and courtesy in us. To all people. Forgive us for forgetting our mission. Our purpose. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
I totally agree with you! We are to be light to those who don’t YET know Christ. We can disagree with others about many things, including politics. But we can do so in a way that is not abusive and filled with hatred. As we stand up for our beliefs may those who disagree with us see something different in our response. May there be love instead of hate. A very timely post.
Oh Sherri, what a great message. You are right; we need to have His light shine brighter. Even when we disagree with someone, we still need to be courteous.