..be sure to do your part in maintainin' ..or in preservin' if you will.. the unity of the Spirit with other fishers. Imperative!
"Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers." 2 Tim. 2:14
"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men [and 'all' in the original language here actually means: all], apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves..." 2 Tim. 2:24-25, emph. mine
God makes us tender-hearted and kind like Jesus, as we make the choice to be like Him. Dear.. dear brothers and sisters, many secondary differences can still be respectfully debated even in a spirited way, but why go and break fellowship with family members when these ole debates which godly saints have thoroughly discussed, have been around for multiple centuries? Have we not nets and hooks to cast instead of minutes to burn?
Peace-out bro n sis. Let love compel you—no witnessin' time to waste! Be gracious. Be a blessing to hang with. Both sinners and saints loved to be with Jesus. He had a great attitude with the right priorities. Be godly ..daily, instead of pugnacious, uber-gruff, abrasive, puffed, hurtful, divisive, or contentious.
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." See Paul's whole context with Eph. 4:1-3, nkjv
"Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind." ~ Eric Hoffer
"We put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ." 1 Cor. 9:12
Holy fear, a clear conscience, accuracy with the text-work, and pure-passion must inform our tone, inner human spirit, approach, and tact ..for indeed our hook, net, and appropriate bait-occasions don't really come by so often ..and besides.. these are your last days as well as mine no matter your escatological stance. fish4souls.org