A recent e-mail exchange regarding a com box comment reminded me of another article in my archives:
To me, the bottom line is that you seem to care more about your cause than you do about the people you encounter. As long as that is the case, not only will you continue to hurt people but for the most part they will not be interested in your viewpoint because your actions are telling them that you don’t care about them.
From my archives:
I am also reminded of John Chapter 6, where Jesus delivers a hard teaching on the Eucharist – and some still left him.
John 6:60
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
61
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?
62
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 21
63
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh 22 is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64
But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
66
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Also in Mark 6, we have the apostles, who literally learned how to share the truth from Jesus himself! and yet He gives them instruction on what to do if they are NOT received.
Mark 6
7. And he called his Twelve, and he began to send them two by two, and he gave them authority to cast out evil spirits,
8. And he instructed* them not to take anything for the road, except for only a walking stick, no water jug and no bread, and no money in their purses,
9. Except to wear sandals,* and not to put on two garments.
10. And he told them, “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you go out [of that area.]
11. “And whoever does not receive you and does not hear you out, when you leave there, shake off the sand from the bottom of your feet in their testimony.*
So Christ himself knows that not all who hear the truth, regardless of from whom, or how, are going to accept it. This of course, does not lessen our responsibility to be good bearers of the gospel, and to be efficient sowers. It might also give us the additional responsibility of making sure our own fields are fully tilled, watered and cleared of weeds so that we can accept good seed when we get it.
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Unless a blog is password protected and private, it is not like a living room. It’s more like an auditorium. Everyone in the auditorium is there for that particular program. And like an auditorium, there will be some similiar interests and ideas that bring all the people together, but it would be impossible for everyone there to “know” and “care” about each other on an interpersonal level. So in that sense, yes the message that everyone is there to hear (or in this case read) is the main focus. Assuming com boxes are part of the blog and people click on them and read, they become part of what people came to read as well. Of course we expect the delivery of the message from the blogger and the commenter to be respectful of people. But the message really is the main part of blogging. Focusing on the message seems to be the accepted practice in the Gospels of John and Mark above as well.
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