"A good
name is better than precious ointment"
(Eccl. 7:1).
"Only let not your good be evil spoken of"
(Rom. 14:16).
Timothy was "well reported of by the brethren"
(Acts 16:2).
Surely, we would rather be held in respect than despised.
But
sometimes perceptions are unjust. Ahab's perception of Elijah was that
he was the one who "troubleth Israel"
(1 Kgs 18: 17).
It was really the other way around.
Jesus was
perceived by the Jewish rulers as a "blasphemer" who had to be stopped
at all cost. For that reason they "took counsel together to put Him to
death"
(Jn 11:53).
Yet Peter
said that He "left us an example that we should walk in His steps; Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth" (1
Pt 2:21,22).
Paul said,
"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness"
(1 Cor. 1:23).
The perception of both unbelieving Jews and Greeks was wrong. The truth?
"But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the
power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men; and the weakness of God -- is stronger than men"
(Vs. 25).
Unbelieving
Jews created a false impression about Paul and his companions at
Thessalonica. They dragged "certain brethren unto the rulers of the
city, crying, 'these that have turned the world upside down are come
hither also'"
(Acts 17:6).
The perception spread. "And they troubled the people and the rulers of
the city, when they heard these things"
(vs. 8).
But it was all based on false information. But still, that was the
perception.
Image Problems:
-- Let's
face it, Jesus, the apostles and the early church suffered from an image
problem. I guess Demas succumbed to it for he "forsook...having loved
this present world" (2
Tim. 4:10).
The church of our Lord has often suffered from an image problem. "
That's the little bunch who thinks they are the only ones who are
right." "Oh, they are the ones who don't believe in music in the
church." The perception of many younger people now is that organized
religion is hypocritical, repressive, and out of touch with life in the
real world. On top of that they are judged to be too judgmental and
bigoted.
Solving The Image Problem:
-- I don't
know that we always can solve it. We cannot compromise the truth because
some who stand for it have been slandered and false perceptions have
been created. All of us need to keep on preaching what we know to be the
truth, doing what we know to be right, and living uprightly before God
and the world, whether or not the perceptions are changed. In the final
analysis, does it really matter what people think of us? No, it does
not. What matters is what God thinks about us. If my action is right
before God, then whatever contrary perceptions may prevail are of no
importance. When we begin to sample perceptions, brotherhood or
otherwise, and decide our actions and associations accordingly, then we
have sold out our principles for the pottage of human approval and
opinion. Is there a price to pay sometimes for acting contrary to the
"perception which is out there?" Absolutely. You may have a meeting or
two canceled without any explanation. That happened to me twice this
year. One was cancelled with no other explanation than "for the health
of the church." I don't know if that meant the church was all too sick
to attend a meeting or they thought my preaching would make them all
sick. Another was cancelled with the explanation "due to circumstances."
When I inquired what those "circumstances" were, I received no answer.
Do churches have the same right to cancel meetings as to schedule them?
Of course they do. But there is such thing as honorable treatment which
even people in the world recognize in the realm of business dealings.
Am I going
to cut off association with brethren I know to be honorable and who are
engaged in activities which are just and right because of some
"perception out there"? No sir, I am not. Others may choose whatever
course they desire, but it appears to this old country boy that
principle and perception are not always on the same page. The measure of
a man's character and caliber may well be decided by which one he
chooses. "Buy the truth and sell it not"
(Prov. 23:23).
Other Articles by Connie W. Adams
Sound Speech or Sound
Silence?
Protecting Churches From Error
The Problem of Private
Lust
The Trend Among the Young
Preachers
Old Song, New Singers
Umbrella Religion
Lest Anyone Should
Deceive You