Have you ever been cussed at and threatened to be shaken off like the dust from one’s feet, simply because you didn’t agree with a particular point of view? Happened to me a couple of days ago when a Christian man felicitated me on WhatsApp for a pagan festival that I don’t celebrate.
When I inquired as to why he would do that, especially since he knows that I’m a disciple of Jesus, his response was so aggressive and rude the verbal assault left me completely gobsmacked. It took a while and many deep breaths later before I could reply to him with my trademark polite sarcasm.
I signed off with a sincere blessing over him however just to neutralize the curse he had viciously flung my way, but that seemed to aggravate this proponent of hyper-grace even more, resulting in him firing the final salvo of “shaking me off like dust” and embellishing some more blistering accusations with unprintable epithets which terminated our conversation effectively and decisively.
After recovering from the shock of his ungentlemanly and unchristian behavior, I began to ponder on the state of civility in the Body of Christ. I’m not even starting with the love angle straight up, because love may be a many-splendored thing for the average romantic, but more often than not, love can be a many-splintered thing for the average Christian. So let’s just begin at the bottom of the rung and talk about basic civility and politeness instead.
Over the years, during conferences featuring celebrated guest speakers, I have seen fights erupt over choice seats between squabbling ladies shoving each other with their umbrellas, just so they could have easy access to the altar to run down first for the latest impartation.
I have watched cynical cell members stride past their brothers and sisters in church, ignoring and blocking out the very people who had journeyed and prayed with them during their life’s high peaks and low valleys- but who were now apparently undeserving of a nod or a hello because they had offended them in some way.
Reminders in church to not mistreat the volunteers, reminders to welcome new visitors, reminders to acknowledge the people sitting on your right and left with a smile- all reminders of the erosion of simple good manners and courtesy in the Body of Christ. Check out social media and you’ll find that some of the rudest and most self righteous voices belong to the Christians.
When we behave so obnoxiously (whether in private or in public), we not only disgrace the name of Jesus, we also risk disciplinary displeasure from our Father who has commanded us to love, honor, respect, forgive, encourage, accept, be kind to, be patient with, and submit to one another – all for the express purpose of displaying heaven’s culture here on earth.
One might push back and say that in the culture of the world, civility is often sacrificed on the altar of pragmatic busyness. So much work needs to be done that there really isn’t much time left to engage in vapid pleasantries. And as long as everyone is at their work stations performing with a spirit of excellence, that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?
But we are supposed to be the Body of Christ, representing Kingdom Culture! We are supposed to be the “household of God being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Eph 2:22).
By which stretch of the imagination would the Holy Spirit want to dwell in a house where disagreement and disharmony spill over into haughtiness and impoliteness?
And right here I would like to insert a personal confession. Honestly, there have been occasions in my life when I would have cheerfully strangled annoying and irritating Christians myself. But then I would force myself to smile and be courteous to them, and a miracle would happen! The Holy Spirit would honor my attempt to be kind to the offensive person and would pour out His agape and grace to help me actually begin to like them. He is the Helper, after all.
So may I propose that each time we are tempted to cut one another off, or to threaten to shake the dust from our feet (this verse’s contextual mangling makes me roll my eyes)- why don’t we allow civility and patience become our default mode and wait for the Helper to step in and fix the problem.
Otherwise, who knows? Maybe God Himself will decide to follow the example of His Word and shake us off like the dust from His feet, because we too constantly refuse to receive Him or obey His Word as well. (Matt 10:14).
Now, wouldn’t that be a HUGE mountain of shook-off dust to be buried beneath!
“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
(I Peter 3:8-9)
