Rude People

Rude people want us to either fear them or fight with them. When we obey Christ, showing them the respect they didn't show us, we avoid becoming like them. Our witness is that of Christ-likeness that destroys the tactic of the devil and leaves us with a clear conscience.

 
1 Peter 3:8-10 "8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."

The devil wants us to react to rude people so he can diminish our witness with those around us. To react to rudeness is to be self-focused. When Christ is our focus, we do not respond out of anger or frustration rather, we leave the unkind person to God. After all, He knows what He needs to do on our behalf.

Reacting in anger to anger is a violation of the scripture that says not to "return evil for evil."

Having said all of this, we must remember that continuing to tolerate rudeness, thinking we are going to influence the rude person to change, only solidifies their hardened heart. So, what is the answer? The answer if they continue to be rude is to walk away and stay away until they are shown by God their own hearts and repent.
Never worry about losing someone who is constantly rude. It is better to be alone than to be in contact with those who disrespect us repeatedly. And, the more we are around someone, the more we begin to take on their attitudes through frequent exposure to their ways.

We become like those we spend the most time with merely by continual exposure to their ways. This is why God told us to be diligent about who are our constant companions.

Proverbs 13:19-20 "…19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools. 20He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."

1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Psalm 1:1
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of "

2 Corinthians 6:14
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?"

Proverbs 22:24-25
"Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."

When we surround ourselves with those who love and seek Christ we will grow in holiness without the constant pressure against us to conform to the ungodly. We will live peacefully with great joy and hope when our companions love Christ as we do.

Born-Agains are Far Different from Pretenders

We are all born with a natural bent toward selfishness.
Before I was born again, everything I did, even the good acts, was to seek praise of some kind. I was not as competitive as so many people are, but I did desire to be seen as good.

After I heard the gospel and learned that I was not good and was not worthy of praise, I repented of my sinful nature, and the acts of kindness became about others and not myself; it was about my desire to be kind for God's sake. Kindness and love became so much a part of our being when we were saved that it was extended without thinking, automatically, because it is our nature.

 
When Christ changed me, I no longer thought the same way as I did before. Before I was saved, I enjoyed sin and all its pleasures; however, after I was born again, I hated the very things I used to love. I began loving the ways and things of God so much so that if the old self raised it's head temporarily or I was tempted I couldn't stand it and quickly called upon God to return me to right thinking.

 
James 4:6-8 "6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

Sadly, I do not hear many people who attend churches have a testimony of their changed attitude. I do hear a lot about what is right and what is wrong, but nothing about how their heart were completely different. Many Christians raised in the church never had an "aha" experience that drove them to Christ to be completely changed.

 
Cultural Christianity endorses rules and regulations without a changed heart. They seek to follow the principles of God, often misinterpreting the Bible in their quest to appear superior to others, but have never changed that selfish nature that seeks after personal gratification and self-elevation.

 
Cultural Christians "pride" themselves as never having done the "big" sins, but neglect the sinful and destructive attitude of pride that leads them to pursue fleshly superiority that elevates self above godliness generated by the Holy Spirit.

 
If the Holy Spirit is not the One changing a heart, then there is no salvation. Religious practices and holidays are all orchestrated to make oneself feel that they are good for doing them. It isn't about inward transformation but rather for outward appearances to impress others, or to gain the validation of those who require the practices to fit into their model of Christianity. In other words, to be accepted by the group.

 
Those in the cultural church love to judge others for not doing what they do, even if it has nothing to do with sin. Born-again Christians who are dedicated to God's word out of love for Him are rejected by the cultural Christians.

 
Authentic Christianity is not smearing frosting on the cake of the heart it is a complete transformation that only Christ can do within us.

 
Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,"

Galatians 4:6 "And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!”

1 John 4:13 "By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit."

John 15:26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me."

1 John 5:10 "Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

There are even people who would pray the Psalm for the Lord to cleanse their hearts, but then continue attempting to be their version of a clean heart in their own strength. We know when this is happening because their heart remains dedicated to appearances and adherence to fleshly rituals that they use to pressure others to be like them.

 
Ezekiel 36:26 "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

Notice that God says, "I will give you a new heart." Nowhere does God say we should try to make a better heart in ourselves. If God does not do it, then it is not done, only an appearance that is exposed to authentic believers, able to see the heart of a man because of the Holy Spirit Who lives in them.

 
It is not always possible to discern who is who because pretenders can be very clever at talking the talk without walking the walk, while hiding their motives that do not match up with God's heart.

 
Matthew 13:24-30 The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

 
Authentic born-again believers can sense the Holy Spirit in one another, and they can sense a lack of connection with those who are pretenders.

 
Romans 8:15-17 "…15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him."

The beauty of the walk of the born-again believer is that we don't have to rely on our senses or figure out things in our own minds; we can ask the Holy Spirit, and He will guide us in everything.

 
John 16:12-14 "… 12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you."

Notice God said those who belong to Him will glorify HIM and not any other person or themselves.