Just because we are talking to 'fellow believers' this does not mean that we actually believe the same things!
The first thing we need to gauge is exactly what sort of a Christian the other person is. Not only that, but some people appear sound and rational until they are challenged, confronted with a different scale of thought or just plain disagreed with. Again, this is where we work at developing a relationship and having developed it we can bring up areas of concern or issues affecting us which might have a resonance with the person and the problems they are having or presenting.
If one just launches in feet first then we will often fnd ourselves in a position where the sin is concealed by such anomalies as Biblical interpretation, churchmanship, ad hominems, party lines and pure ignorance.
I was always taught to "Know my enemy". It also helps to know our brother and sisters too!
Ever since I became a Christian I have held to a basic belief that people who aren't members of the 'club' don't need to keep to the rules and regulations of it no matter how much keeping them might be benficial to them.
The other side of this coin of course is that those who have joined the 'club' have no option but to keep the rules and regs and use the big black book accordingly! Note, it is a big BLACK book not a big LACK book as some Christians would have us believe!
The milling around the edge of the coin has to be those who explicitly belong to to other clubs. These people have different rules and regs and present a challenge to us in many other ways. Most Chrstians find the coin falls on the face or obverse side and rarely do they encounter the thing falling onto the edge!
The key to "Telling the truth" is first of all actually using love! Not the easiest of tasks especially because people believe satan's lies (yes, he is a real person!). Not the easiest task because we see people we love doing something wrong and want them to stop damaging themselves. Panic, frustration, fear and a lack of understanding what being Christlike and an inability to give people time to have the right of access to them all counter this key facet.
Jesus came to a place and met people. He told stories and ate with them, the common people, the outcasts, the reviled and corrupt, those outside the club and by doing so developed in the people a desire to hear more and to want Him to talk to them. He never dissapointed when He spoke - lives were changed and hearts were broken and them wonderfully restored. New faith - real faith came into being. This is the call to us.
To tell the truth we have to know it. So many people who belong to the club tell only a part of the story. Some don't have the truth at all because they don't know it. So they should learn!
Some don't have the truth because they have chosen to put off truth to be less stern and to avoid telling people that they are wrong. After all, do this and they won't join. But when they do join it's a faux Chrstian faith they bring them into. "Jesus just wants you to be happy, do what you want and what you want to each other, it's all O.K." is a position and a theology that shows love - all the way to hell!
Some have so much truth that none will get in to heaven except them. They point out every speck and blemish. They know every word, phrase and call give you the words in Greek, Hebrew and serbo-croat. But there's no love, only 'being right!'. They are as bad as the previous group and the reasons are the same - they want to decide and whilst the first want all in the latter want no one in unless it's on their terms. (Look at some people's postings on the many Christian discussion boards for a great example of this - always right, always standing for what's right, never displaying love or winning souls).
Still more considerations!
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