our opponents in light of eternity — and yearn to win them over to Christ .
5 . You cannot tell the wheat from the weeds . In Christ ’ s parable about the wheat and the weeds , the mixed nature of the world — sons of God and sons of the devil — could not be remedied before the end of the age . The servants offered to pull up the weeds ; the master said , “ No , lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them ” ( Matt . 13:29 ). This clearly indicates that before the end of the age , we will not be able to tell the difference between wheat and weeds . Paul , the greatest servant of Christ that has ever lived , was initially the most vicious persecutor of Christians on Earth . God ’ s grace can win anyone at any time . Today ’ s hate-filled enemy may be tomorrow ’ s zealous co-laborer . And it is “ speaking the truth in love ” ( Eph . 4:15 ) that God will use to win them .
6 . You are not the issue ; God ’ s glory is . When we pridefully rise up to defend our honor , we are acting as though that is more important than the glory of God in the revitalization of a church for whom Christ shed his blood .
7 . A humble response to attacks will motivate church members to join you . If you respond to mean-spirited attacks in a like manner , it will be obvious to everyone that you are no different than your enemies . But if you are filled with the Spirit , speaking only scriptural truths , and seeking repentance and reconciliation with every person , quiet observers will be strongly motivated to come to your aid in the church revitalization process .
8 . Your enemies may be right ... about something . It is exceptionally humble to listen to your adversaries with the conviction that they have something worth listening to . While we may disagree about the most fundamental issues having to do with the gospel or the scriptural principles of healthy church life , they may have a valid perspective that God
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