How to Handle a Critic
How to Handle a Critic
Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
Intro
Every one of us will have our critics. Have nothing, do nothing, and be nothing and you will not have any critics. But have something, do something, and be something and you will have plenty of critics. Therefore, one sign of success is critics. So don’t worry when you have critics. Don’t let them destroy you. Let them detonate you.
I. Have the Right Timing
Whenever I receive a critical letter or hear of someone who has leveled a criticism toward me. I try to set it aside for a while. I try to resist the temptation to immediate reply and defend myself. I try to follow the practice of the Apostle Paul.
The Holy Spirit led Paul to use a wise approach to this divided church at Corinth. The Corinthians were resisting Paul’s authority and had been seduced by false teachers. He needed to answer their charges, not for his reputation, but for the cause of Christ and their spiritual growth. However, he knew that he needed to confront them at the right time.
A confrontational letter is not the best way to deal with a problem. Avoid confronting in a letter. Most people make that mistake. They fear a face-to-face confrontation, so they think it would be much easier to confront in a letter. Most will confront with an anonymous letter.
However, what if you have no other choice than a letter? Today we have telephones and easy transportation. But in Paul’s day there were no telephones and transportation, was difficult, expensive and time consuming. The same distance we travel in a couple of hours could take many months in the first century.
Paul’s Technique = + - +
He began with the positive. He would compliment the recipients. For example in his first letter to the Corinthians he began with a thanksgiving.
(1 Cor 1:4-9 NIV) I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. {5} For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- {6} because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. {7} Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. {8} He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. {9} God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Then he dealt with the many problems facing the Corinthian believers; divisions (chapters 1-4); immorality (chapter 5); lawsuits (chapter 6); marriage and divorce (chapter 7); religious compromise (chapter 8); attack on spiritual authority (chapter 9-10); abuses at the Lord’s Supper (chapter 11); abuse of spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14); misconceptions concerning the resurrection (chapter 15); Then Paul takes the first part of chapter 16 to instruct them on the collection. Paul knows that if they a giving spirit will correct many of the abuses of the Corinthians. He takes the remainder of chapter 16 to compliment and encourage them. He gives numerous personal greetings.
Paul follows the same procedure in 2 Corinthians. He begins with a wonderful description of God as the God of all comfort.
(2 Cor 1:3-4 NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, {4} who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Then he explains the reason for his change in plans in not visiting them as he had hoped to do. He shares the wonderful work of Christ’s reconciliation of the Corinthians to Himself and our calling to a ministry of reconciliation.
He waits until chapters 8 and 9 to deal with anything negative. Here he encourages the Corinthians to share in the offering because Paul knew that right giving was the basis of right living. Gracious giving and gracious living go hand-in-hand.
Only after nine chapters does he come to the most severe confrontation. In chapters 10-13 Paul deals directly with his accusers and answers their false charges. He calls the Judaizers in the Corinthian Church ministers of Satan who want to destroy the work of God(11:12-15). Now I’m sure these critics thought they were really doing the will of God and Paul was the one who was in error.
Paul’s dealing with these critics is so direct that many have thought that these final four chapters were an entirely different letter. There is often no easy transition to a difficult subject, but just deal with it. The false apostles at Corinth needed o be challenged openly and the Corinthians’ affections needed to be won over to a complete devotion to Christ and His apostle. Paul had the wisdom to wait for the right timing.
Application: When you have to deal with a critic or an accusation against you, pray much for the right timing. Youth and inexperience rush in where angels fear to trod. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the wisdom of age 60 when you are 30? Often in our youth or inexperience we are far more dogmatic than after years of experience.
II. Develop the Right Attitude
A. The Accusation
Bold in his writings but timid and even weak in person
Paul’s critics said he was bold when he wrote his letters from a distance, but he was timid, even weak when he was in person with the Corinthians. I is hard to believer that anyone would have criticized the Apostle Paul since he was the one God had used to found the church. It had experienced growth under his ministry both numerically and spiritually. The Corinthians were very carnal, but God used the teachings and ministry of Paul to strengthen them and bring significant growth. Yet the critics were not satisfied. Perhaps they were jealous of Paul. They not only criticized Paul, they led many Corinthians to become disloyal to the apostle and Christ.
When Paul founded the church his purpose was to exalt Christ and not himself. Paul wanted his converts to follow Christ and trust Christ, so he deliberately played down his ability and his authority. Yet note how ignorant the Corinthians were. They failed to see that true spirituality and true authority comes from meekness and gentleness not throwing your weight around.
B. The Answer - the Example of Christ
(Mat 11:29 NIV) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle (meek - KJV) and humble (lowly - KJV) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
1. Meekness
Gr. “prautes” = mildness, humility
Aristotle defined it as the correct mean between being too angry and being never angry at all.
It describes the man who is never angry at any personal wrong or insult or injury he may receive, but who is capable of righteous anger when he sees others hurt, injured or insulted.
Jesus’ meekness was a strength of spirit that enabled Him to accept calmly the wrongs done against Himself. For example: Matthew 27:12-14; 1 Peter 2:23
(Mat 27:12-14 NIV) When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. {13} Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" {14} But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.
(1 Pet 2:23 NIV) When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Application:
2. Gentleness
Gr. “epieikeia” = lowly, humble, suitable, equity, mildness, clemency, sweet reasonableness (Barclay). The word appears only here and in Acts 24:4 where Tertullus, the lawyer for Ananias, the high priest presents the case against Paul to Felix and requests that Felix “be kind enough to hear” them briefly (I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words, .KJV; I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us, .NKJV).
It is the quality which must enter in when justice, just because of its generality, is in danger of becoming unjust.. The Greeks said it was the quality of being just and even better than just. It is the quality of knowing when applying strictly the rules, going by the book, is in reality unjust.
One who has the quality of gentleness knows when going by the book is unjust.
III. Use the Right Weapons
A. The Accusation - the standards of the world
Worldly Weapons:
Learning
Personal Influence
Impressive credentials (1 Cor 1:26)
(1 Cor 1:26 NIV) Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
Rhetorical polish (1 Cor. 2:1)
(1 Cor 2:1 NIV) When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
Paul had discounted and discarded all of these (Phil 3:4-8).
(Phil 3:4-8 NIV) though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: {5} circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; {6} as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. {7} But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. {8} What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
B. The Answer - spiritual weapons
1. Prayer
2. Word of God
3. Power of the Holy Spirit
In dependence upon God these weapons, frail by the world’s standards are able to demolish the arguments and every pretension of the enemies of the gospel. Neither Satan nor his henchmen can oppose the knowledge - power of God. Even the thoughts of the enemies of the gospel will one day be made subject to Christ.
(2 Cor 10:4-5 NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Every believer must also bring every thought into obedience to Christ.
(Psa 101:3 NIV) I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Phil 2:5.
Control your thought life. How? By what you put into it!
The object of Paul’s warfare was to make the people obedient to Christ. He did this in two ways:
1. Believers: The Corinthian church needed to express its complete obedience to Christ by demonstrating its loyalty to His representative, Paul.
(2 Cor 5:20 NIV) We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
(2 Cor 7:15 NIV) And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.
In this way their obedience would be complete.
2. Enemies: Once the Corinthians had repudiated Paul’s opponents, he could deal with the false apostles directly knowing that the church supported him. He was ready to punish their acts of disobedience to Christ. The word punish (ekdikesai) means to avenge. It is used to describe the wrath of God directed against the enemies of His people (Num 31:2; Deut. 32:43; Rev. 19:2).