Pointing out hypocrisy and bigotry.

[Whyme]

3 hours ago, Chicken coop2 said:

I have been a victim of 

hypocracy and bigotry since my earliest memories.  Those who do it seem to enjoy doing it so much that it would take a genuine miracle for them to change.  As for pointing it out, no need to.  They know exactly who and what they are.  

So you are saying they dont care they are hypocritical? Or they justify it?

[Riverwalker]

1 hour ago, Whyme said:

 

If someone falsely accuses us, should we not speak up? If i accused you of something horrible, would you not defend yourself? If hypocrites falsely accuse you, dont you need to speak the Truth? 

Speak the truth, but don't defend yourself,  If its a lie there is no need to defend and if its  the truth, there is no defense

This scripture which turns me sideways is what I was reminded of

Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

[Sower]

22 minutes ago, Whyme said:

 

If someone falsely accuses us, should we not speak up? If i accused you of something horrible, would you not defend yourself? If hypocrites falsely accuse you, don't you need to speak the Truth? 

For me it is hard not to, but the scriptures have a word to say.

Exodus 14:14   The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

1 Peter 3:9  Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,
bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1 Peter 4:14  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Thessalonians 5:15  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,
but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Luke 6:27-28   But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

That sure wasn't what I wanted to hear, Whyme, but it is scripture......
But I do like the idea of the Lord fighting for us..........

[Whyme]

Just now, Riverwalker said:

Speak the truth, but don't defend yourself,  If its a lie there is no need to defend and if its  the truth, there is no defense

This scripture which turns me sideways is what I was reminded of

Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Im not sure i agree. Paul defended himself on more than one occasion. 

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, Whyme said:

 

If someone falsely accuses us, should we not speak up? If i accused you of something horrible, would you not defend yourself? If hypocrites falsely accuse you, dont you need to speak the Truth? 

This is a valid question and the answer isn't easily discerned. The short of it?

No. As someone who has been accused falsely I've struggled with this myself. This is not to say that I've somehow "arrived" because sooner or later, it comes around again and I find myself accused of something else I didn't do. Of course it's a challenge! Did the Lord say that our sojourn in this world was going to be easy? Nope, not at any time. 

I've been tested severely because I was accused of something truly horrible. This is the leading of His Holy Spirit which runs counter to the wisdom of this flesh and blood (when we walk in the Spirit we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh). That's what it made it so hard and yet the burden which God places upon us is so light. Trust in the Lord and lean not to our own understanding. As the Lord was silent before His accusers, led like a lamb to the slaughter, so should we be.

"Fighting back" is our natural inclination and therefore of this flesh, and so the Spirit of the Lord leads us in a direction wherein we deny that natural inclination and listen only to Him. This is how we walk in His commandments. The Truth is a Person and that Person is none other than Jesus Christ, who was led like a lamb to the slaughter. I know that the Lord can and does speak for Himself for He is not an idol of wood or stone... He is not mute, deaf, and blind like the gods of the pagans... and He doesn't require human hands to steady the ark (a wonderful lesson to study in the Old Testament). 

I've been vindicated time and again and it wasn't due to my words or conduct to the contrary. The Lord speaks for Himself and so I trust that if my vindication is a matter of concern to the Almighty, then He will ensure that justice is done. Yes indeed, this a yet another test of the Lord who refines us like silver is refined in the furnace, and tests us like gold is tried. Praise the Lord!    

[teddyv]

3 minutes ago, Whyme said:

Im not sure i agree. Paul defended himself on more than one occasion. 

I would hazard that Paul did it to advance the gospel. Appealing to Caesar guaranteed him an audience with the emperor.

[Riverwalker]

7 minutes ago, Whyme said:

Im not sure i agree. Paul defended himself on more than one occasion. 

Paul defended his apostolic calling, He did not defend personal offenses

[Marathoner]

23 minutes ago, Whyme said:

Im not sure i agree. Paul defended himself on more than one occasion. 

Which defines being led by the Spirit, @Whyme. I realize how this might sound but here I go, sharing some of my experience in the military. 

What was the lesson delivered to recruits by the drill sergeants during that most wretched portion of Army Basic Training, called Drill and Ceremony? Do... not... anticipate... the... command. Usually recited while doing pushups under the blazing sun. 

Sure, that was the discipline of men but therein was something which the Lord esteems highly: we wait upon the Lord and Him alone. We find this expressed in the scriptures.  If the Lord instructs us to be silent like lambs being led to the slaughter, then we are silent. If the Lord gives us words to speak, then we speak those words. Surely you know there was a time when the apostle was martyred, when the "Roman citizen defense" wasn't sufficient. It was the will of Christ for His chosen vessel, not the result of ill fortune. 

[Whyme]

47 minutes ago, Sower said:

For me it is hard not to, but the scriptures have a word to say.

Exodus 14:14   The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

1 Peter 3:9  Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,
bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1 Peter 4:14  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Thessalonians 5:15  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,
but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Luke 6:27-28   But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

That sure wasn't what I wanted to hear, Whyme, but it is scripture......
But I do like the idea of the Lord fighting for us..........

So if i accuse you of something horrible, you wont deny it? Wont people wonder why you didnt deny it? How is calling out hypocrisy or injustice the same as reviling? Its not is it? 

Proverbs 24:24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

[Hopefully]

“Have no part in the things that people in darkness do, which produce nothing good. Instead, tell everyone how wrong those things are. Actually, it is shameful to even talk about the things those people do in secret.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:11-12‬ ‭ERV

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:11-12‬ ‭KJV‬‬
 

“A quaint old writer says that the presence of a saint ‘hinders the devil of elbow room to do his tricks.’ We can all rebuke sin by our righteousness, and by our shining reveal the darkness to itself. We do not walk as children of the light unless we keep ourselves from all connivance with works of darkness, and by all means at our disposal reprove and convict them. ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch no unclean thing, saith the Lord.“

III. Lastly, note the still harder Christian duty of vigorous protest.

The presentation of a Christian life is the Christian man’s mightiest weapon in his conflict with the world’s evil. But that is not all. And if Christian people think that they have done all their duty, in regard to clamant and common iniquities, by simply abstaining from them and presenting a nobler example, they have yet to learn one very important chapter of their duty.

A dumb Church is a dying Church, and it ought to be; for Christ has sent us here in order, amongst other things, that we may bring Christian principles to bear upon the actions of the community; and not be afraid to speak when we are called upon by conscience to do so.

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ephesians/5-11.htm