Why am I being too mean and direct? What matters is the truth, and when the truth is spoken out, it may come out in a way that may offend you or is rude. But here’s the thing, if you really want the truth that bad, you will not care how it is decorated.
The Apostle Paul
One of the greatest apostles who ever lived, the Apostle Paul, wrote most of our Christian doctrines, and the strongest teachings, especially in Romans and Galatians, are against works for salvation. We rely on the Apostle Paul for doctrinal teachings. But what if one did not like Paul’s delivery of such doctrine? If one assumed that he was an offensive and mean person. Would one use Ephesians 2:8,9 and Romans 9-11 to prove salvation not by works?
2 Corinthians 10:1, 9-10 “Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:” “That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”
“Contemptible” means rude, almost crude. That is the style of preaching and teaching of the Apostle Paul. Would one reject salvation based on Romans 10:9 or 1 Corinthians 15, because the person who wrote this has rude and contemptible speech? That is the kind of world we live in nowadays.
The Lord Jesus
What about receiving Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior? He loved you enough to die for you! But many reject Jesus, because they thought He was mean in His speech.
When Jesus was preaching at Matthew 23, He was not in a happy, lovey-dovey mood. He was very angry!
Matthew 23:14, 33 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
Jesus called these people snakes! He was speaking to false religious leaders! If the pastor called out a false prophet or pastor and said that that person is not saved and going to hell, many would also reject this. Jesus choked out the religious pastors right here.
Matthew 23:15 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
How would this verse sound in modern English? It would sound pretty crude, wouldn’t it?
Matthew 23:24 “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
Jesus really said that! Believe it or not! The whole chapter of Matthew 23 showed Jesus name-calling, and using strong phrases.
The prophet Nehemiah
Nehemiah 13:25 “And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.”
Why would Nehemiah do that? He was going hard and mean! That was their pastor then!
The prophet Elijah
1 Kings 18:26-28 “And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.”
Look at Elijah’s response! Let’s say that there were people doing a religious ritual and they were actually cutting themselves, as a pastor, Pastor Kim would have no heart whatsoever to make fun of them. But Elijah did! Elijah mocked them.
There is a time and place for everything
There is a time and place for everything. If one name-called and were sarcastic all the time, that person is not a good Christian. If Jesus, Elijah and Nehemiah were like this all the time, they would be known for that strong behaviour. The reason why they are not known for that, is because it is rarely mentioned.
Let’s say that a person believed and shared wrong doctrine, and this were a pastor or members who had been given the truth before and should know better, pastor Kim is not going to treat them nice. He is going to be strict, kick them out, and rebuke them with zero respect. It shows a heart that has been sold in making a decision to not get right with God.
When one gives the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not the time to be sarcastic and act like an idiot. These are people dying and going to hell and they do not know any better, so we have to show them what is right from the word of God and try to get those poor souls saved, including the demented liberals, the atheists doing sex parties, and the Sodomites. We need to reach those people and get them saved! When we see these individuals receiving Jesus Christ for their salvation, it is a blessing!
There is a time and place for everything. For the times that I am sarcastic and name-calling, it is when a wolf out there is gnawing at sheep and stealing and poisoning sheep in the church, and some false pastor out there is posting wrong doctrine and misleading many. For those kinds of people, pastor Kim will rebuke them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some have tried using love, but did they listen? Those people never wanted the truth to begin with. Pastor Kim will be sarcastic to these people who are out there trying to hurt people’s souls.
The Lord Jesus Christ has condemned and judged these people in Matthew 23, but He even died for these people and said “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. These are people who do not know any better. If one grew up in a messed up background and have been brainwashed since childhood, and grew up lost and condemned without God, Jesus told God to forgive them.
When one gives the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and prays for these lost souls, always realise this, that anyone of us could have been one of them. Be careful with our attitudes condemning these lost souls, because any one of us could have been one of them going to hell and burning. Just like Jesus Christ died for them, our attitude should be by the grace of God, that we would want to give our lives for these lost souls out there and see them opening their eyes to the truth to receive Jesus Christ.
That is why pastor Kim is still ministering here in the liberal Bay area, because he really cares for the lost people here. When he feels like quitting or closing the doors, he remembers the people he led to Christ, only to bump into somebody out of nowhere and then discover the fruit.