Title: When Facing Malicious Opposition
Contents
Title: In the face of malicious opposition
(Sunday service on June 17, 2007, text: Philippians 1:15-18)
In Plato's Theory of the State, the allegory of the cave appears.
“I was born in a cave. He was looking at the wall of the cave. It seems there are people around. There are a lot of strange things floating around on the walls. However, it seems that he has a similar appearance to me... and imitates the way I move... There seems to be something behind it. there seems to be something I can feel something warm... and I asked people. What's behind it? people are terrified Don't even think like that. There are some really scary things behind it. Everyone who looked back said it was strange. you probably will too But, I'm bored. I don't understand why you have to sit like this. What the hell is behind it? I'm so curious. But, I can't look back.”
Trapped in a cave, I live my life looking only at the shadows through the light outside the cave. However, everyone is afraid to look back or go out of the cave. However, when you turn around and go out of the cave, a new world opens up. People can't make good judgments about something when they are caught up in prejudice or prejudice. When the heart is full of hatred or hatred, proper discernment becomes impossible.
Today we experience countless pros and cons. Pros and cons of chastity before marriage, pros and cons of the Korea-US FTA, the death penalty, equalization of high schools, etc. In particular, these days in June, as we celebrate June Remembrance Day and pro-democracy protests, controversies between conservatives and progressives often take place. There is also a conflict between the modernization forces and the democratization forces. These pros and cons are not just national or social. Even in personal relationships, we are either for or against each other.
In today's Bible, we meet the Apostle Paul, who faces his pros and cons. He was commissioned to preach the gospel to non-Jews and Gentiles. So, the gospel was preached to the Greek culture, not the Jewish culture at that time. So, he had considerable authority and honor among those who preached the gospel to the Greek culture.
Then Paul was imprisoned in Rome. They were persecuted and even tortured. However, there were two reactions to Paul's situation. One group was those who loved Paul so much. So, when I heard the news of Paul's imprisonment, my heart ached. And, he was more diligent in the preaching of the gospel that Paul was doing. However, another group was those who were jealous of Paul. Although they believed in Jesus equally, they were jealous of the preaching of the gospel with Paul at the center. However, when they heard the news that Paul was in prison, they rejoiced in their hearts. And we preached the gospel diligently with the idea that we should take the initiative in spreading the gospel to the Greek culture. Jealousy and rivalry motivated them to spread the gospel. Today we will read verses 15-17 again.
So, what do we do when faced with malicious opposition?
First, once again, you need to think about what the other person's sincerity is.
Like the parable of the cave, if you are caught up in your preconceived notions and stereotypes, you will not be able to judge and discriminate correctly. When someone opposes and criticizes me, we get angry and retaliate.
you may want to However, you have to put that feeling down and look at the criticism and the opposite situation soberly. Actually, the other person criticized and opposed me with love, not with malicious motives, because I may be angry because I hate criticism and opposition itself.
Second, we must interpret the part through the whole.
In many cases, when faced with malicious opposition, it is easy to cling to the very fact that you have been maliciously opposed to yourself. And from then on, no matter what he does or what opinions he gives, he becomes an enemy. Also, once they become enemies, they do not know how to reconcile. However, we must be able to see the whole. We must see what the consequences of that vicious opposition are. You need to let go of your anger and revenge and see the whole thing.
Paul saw the fruits of opposition toward him in the end. He did it out of a motive to hurt himself, but in the end it helped spread the gospel. As a Christian, there is one important principle when making any decisions. It means doing everything for the glory of God. I am right, I did well, but there are times when I have to give up on myself for something bigger. If it is for the glory of God, if it will help spread the gospel, you should be able to boldly throw away what is mine.
See verse 18. “What then is it, whether outwardly or truly, by any means, it is Christ that is preached, in which I will rejoice and rejoice.”
Third, you must take good care of your heart.
If I get angry and retaliate against malicious opposition, I lose. If I seek revenge, from then on, I become a slave to the spirit of vengeance. Its anger and revenge will gnaw at my heart and make me sick. Someone throws a stone at my heart with malicious opposition. Then, if my heart is like an ongdal spring, I will react with anger and explosion. However, no matter how large the stone you throw at me, if my heart is like a lake, I will accept it and accept it. What matters is not how maliciously the other person opposes me, but how much capacity my heart has. I am easily agitated and angry in the face of opposition and criticism, and when I try to retaliate, I am a person with no capacity in mind. Paul was a man of great capacity. Although he was imprisoned, he did not become a slave to anger and vengeance.
Perhaps if Paul had been angry and vengeful toward his vicious opponent, he would have lost his temper and fell into a mental illness or fell ill.
He was unfairly framed for malicious opposition and became a prisoner of arms. However, he took good care of the garden of his heart. He handled his anger and revenge well. So, even after he became president, he did not retaliate against those who had harmed him during that time. Because he has already forgiven them all.
World War I was one of the most tragic events in human history. Six million Jews were killed without resistance in Nazi concentration camps in Germany. During the Korean War, the total number of soldiers and civilians was less than 3 million, but it is truly incredible that 6 million civilians died. Few survived here, including two men. We met one day and we started talking about old days. A man trembles and groans. “I will never forgive you,” says another man. “It’s all in the past.” “What, I can never forgive them” “Then you are still in jail.”
You must forget and forgive in order to become a free man.