Anger Management

In Acts 23, when Paul was given a chance to address the wrongs committed against him, he did not take the opportunity to slam the government or personally attack his accusers. What he did was very selfless - he attacked the heart of Felix, the governor who was trying him. This is a breath of fresh air in our current age of Spiritual Bullying - where our guiding attitudes tend to be aggression and anger. He spoke to Felix about 'righteousness and self-control' - not control and self-righteousness.

Felix didn't believe the Word, so Paul sought to win him over by the powerful testimony of Christ actively working in his life. He didn't fight anger with more anger. His ammunition was the spiritual change in his own heart. In a spiritual sense, he went white on red.

Red on red – or white on red? That’s the choice of the Christian. The aggressive Christian is not going to show the contrast of Christ. The angry Christian simply blends into the anger of the world. Our task is to 'outlive them,' to show the difference. The force of a blameless Christian life in this world is more powerful than any political agenda. Holiness in the Christian walk will be the distinction. Peace. Love. Unity. Integrity.

Integrity gives no foothold to the world, nothing that they can grasp and then use against you when arguing against Christ. This is the counsel that Peter gave to women, about living as peaceable as possible in a tough situation. When words won't win them over, let your gentle, peaceful life point the Way.

I Peter3:1-4 "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

We, the church, are the bride of Christ. We are the 'wives' that have been placed in a world that is unbelieving and unloving. Our charge is to win them over by our life, our behavior, our inner beauty. It's not that words don't matter in evangelism or apologetics. Of course they do, Peter and Paul were eloquent defenders of the faith. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be able to give a reasoned, impassioned defense of the Gospel. Peter says that our appeal should be through the truth of the Word. However, the attitude is what is at the heart of our evangelism.

I have never heard of a situation where a picket sign won anyone to Christ. I have never heard of a person who was ground into dust by someone's anger over their position on an issue and then recreated as a Christian. I've never heard of a sinner who was obliterated by the theological wisdom of an 'evangelist' and fell on his knees in repentance and tears.

I guess all I'm really saying is this: I'm tired of the loveless and lifeless pursuit of doctrinal perfection that simply blends in with the rest of the world. I love doctrine, my life is built upon the truths of the Word and I will defend them by the power of His Spirit. But why are there so many people defending it who are so arrogant and condescending and joyless? I mean come on - joyless? What in the world would ever cause a redeemed sinner to feel anything but pure joy, knowing that the God of the universe is indwelling them? And why do they feel like they need to take everyone out at the knees and look like they're loving every moment of it. There is no joy in the destruction of another person.

That's not Christians outliving the world, that's Christians out killing the world. It's not anger management, but management by anger. It is not the Way of Christ.