The Great Commission to go and “make disciples of all nations” (see Matthew 28:19) with the gospel is not just geographical. To be the salt and light we are called to be, we need to go into every field, every profession, every trade, as well as every nation and culture. We need to address the important issues of the times and to stand without compromise on the biblical perspective. We cannot do this if we do not know the biblical perspective. Studies indicate that less than 10 percent of Christians have a biblical worldview, or view the world from the perspective of God that is revealed in the Scriptures.

     I think I have read the Bible through more than thirty times, and I still realize that I “see in part and know in part” (see I Corinthians 13:12). Every time I read it, I don’t just see more, I see much more. No one has the whole picture, and the most anyone has is still a part. To have the complete picture, we must put the different parts together. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote that “we have the mind of Christ” (see I Corinthians 2:16) and did not say that “I have the mind of Christ.” To have His mind, we must come together.

For this reason, I try to be open to learn from everyone. I do not listen to others in fear. Even though everything they are saying may not be right, I listen to them in faith, having more faith in the Holy Spirit to lead me to the truth than in the devil to deceive me.

     There is good skepticism and bad skepticism. Good skepticism wants to believe but insists on real substance on any position to be embraced. These are complying with the biblical exhortation to “try all things, holding fast to what is good” (see I Thessalonians 5:21), not what is bad. They test what they hear, but they’re looking for the good—what is right, not what is wrong. Bad skepticism does not want to believe or to be persuaded and very rarely can be. This is the mindset of an old wineskin, which has become too rigid and inflexible to change.

     When the great prophet Elijah complained that he alone was left, or that he was the only one who had not compromised the truth, the Lord basically said that his time on earth was up and gave the rest of his job that he had been given to accomplish to his successor, Elisha. Any person or group that begins to isolate themselves, thinking that they alone have the truth or they alone are faithful to it, their time of usefulness is likely finished on the earth. These often go on to become stumbling blocks in the end, not the salt and light they are called to be. This can be a deadly trap especially in times of persecution such as Elijah lived in. God is much bigger than we are, and His truth is much bigger than we are. His Word declares repeatedly that He gives His grace to the humble (see James 4:6; Peter 5:5). One of the basic characteristics of being humble is to be teachable and open to others who have a different perspective.

     Being open and teachable does not mean that we compromise our convictions. What it does mean is that we will change our convictions appropriately when we are shown something that we believe is in error. When this comes to biblical issues, only the clear teaching of Scripture should have the authority to bring correction. Even Jesus, who was the Word, took His stand on “it is written,” when He was challenged. To the degree that we do not know what is written, we are weak in our standing.

     One way that we can usually be sure that a person or group has either fallen to an ultimate form of pride, or has a very weak position to stand on, is by their anger when challenged. In Titus 1:7, Titus is instructed not to appoint those as elders who are “quick-tempered.” Those who are quick-tempered do not have enough control over their own spirit to be in leadership. Likewise, those who become overly angry when their position is challenged are obviously at the very least immature in their position.

     In Galatians 5:20, we are told that those who are given to “outbursts of anger” will not inherit the kingdom of God. We can therefore be sure that those who are angry in their dispositions when standing for the truth are not standing for the kingdom but have their own agenda, regardless of how much they may dispute this. In Matthew 12:28, Jesus said, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” If we are going to represent the kingdom and help bring in the kingdom, then we must abide in the Spirit of God, which is declared in Galatians 5:22-23 to be “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….”

     When we judge a matter as to whether it is true or not, we need to also consider the spirit in which it was spoken. We might then ask what spirit Jesus was speaking in when He challenged the Pharisees for being hypocrites? We assume He did this in an outburst of anger, but did He? He could just as well have been speaking in a soft, even tone, entreating them to consider their error when He said this. Of course, He may well have been angry because there is a righteous anger. One thing we know for sure was that He was not in an out of control rage, and neither are His true messengers. The truth is carried with more dignity than that by those who are true.<