At What Point Does One "Shake the Dust From Your Sandals"?

[Tyler82]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

 

[Ken Rank]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

So it might be you... but since I could have written most of what you wrote, I am thinking the same that has been going through my mind for a few years now... we've reached the tipping point. But with that comes a responsibility... as that would indicate that at least our culture, if not the world, has little time left. And... if God is willing to forgive us 70X7 times (an indiscriminate number) then how do we not extend that same mercy toward others? We don't deserve HIS mercy... but we get it. I think we are obligated to suck it up and extend the same to people EVEN IF we don't think they deserve it, maybe especially so!

 

[grasping the after wind]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

Shaking the dust form one's sandals has nothing to do with culture or society. If you have witnessed the gospel to people and they refuse it then you shake the dust from your sandals and move on to witness to others more inclined to listen.

 

[A_Thinker]

Shaking the dust form one's sandals has nothing to do with culture or society. If you have witnessed the gospel to people and they refuse it then you shake the dust from your sandals and move on to witness to others more inclined to listen.

Winner !!! Thank-you ...

 

[A_Thinker]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.

When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

You sound like Jesus disciples who asked the Lord about calling down fire upon the inhabitants of a village of Samaria ...

“When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they went on to another village” (Luke 9:51-56 NASV).

 

[section9+1]

American society is toxic, but God doesn't save societies; he saves individuals. When people refuse to listen or say 'no' to you, your responsibility toward them is done.

 

[maintenance man]

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point.

I honestly don't know. It seems to me there have always been bad elements of society. The bad parts are just different now.

Is it as bad now as it was during the world wars?

I believe religion is on the decline in American but isn't it on the rise in Africa and other places?

I'm not sure. Someone give me some numbers.

 

[A_Thinker]

American society is toxic, but God doesn't save societies; he saves individuals. When people refuse to listen or say 'no' to you, your responsibility toward them is done.

We've somehow misunderstood this. We seem to believe that America is God's country, rather than America being a country in the world ... of which a portion of the population are some of God's people.

 

[A_Thinker]

I honestly don't know. It seems to me there have always been bad elements of society. The bad parts are just different now.

Is it as bad now as it was during the world wars?

I believe religion is on the decline in American but isn't it on the rise in Africa and other places?

I'm not sure. Someone give me some numbers.

From Wiki ... Christian population growth - Wikipedia

Projected growth of Christianity by 2050
Some of the projections are as follows:

1. Over the 2010-2050 period, Christians will remain the largest religious group with 34.1% of the world’s population. However, Islam will grow faster and become 29.7% of the world’s population. Therefore, by 2050 there will be 2.8 billion Muslims compared to 2.9 billion Christians.
2. “In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050.”
3. “Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Africa
Further information: Christianity in Africa

• Christianity has been estimated to be growing rapidly in South America, Africa, and Asia. In Africa, for instance, in 1900, there were only 8.7 million adherents of Christianity; now there are 390 million, and it is expected that by 2025 there will be 600 million Christians in Africa. The number of Catholics in Africa has increased from one million in 1902 to 329,882,000. There are now 1.5 million churches whose congregations account for 46 million people.

 

[RDKirk]

I honestly don't know. It seems to me there have always been bad elements of society. The bad parts are just different now.

Is it as bad now as it was during the world wars?

I believe religion is on the decline in American but isn't it on the rise in Africa and other places?

I'm not sure. Someone give me some numbers.

Christianity has increased 10-fold in North Korea, of all places, since the mid 90s. Back then we estimated 5,000 Christians in North Korea, today the estimate is 50,000.

In fact, despite the most horrendous persecution in the world, Christianity has proven so resilient in North Korea that Kim Jong Un has abandoned trying to exterminate it and is now trying to co-opt it by creating the "North Korean Orthodox Church" that he hopes he can control.

 

[bcbsr]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

I hadn't realized Compassion International was being driven out of India. Looking at the new it says, "The shutdown of the charity, Compassion International, on suspicion of engaging in religious conversion, comes as India, a rising economic power with a swelling spirit of nationalism, curtails the flow of foreign money to activities it deems “detrimental to the national interest.”

Compassion International is one of the best charities and yes they do Evangelism. I was surprised India has become so hostile to an organization devoted to helping poor children. As for the US, I think it's only going to get worse and more hostile to Christianity. News has it the atheism has increase significantly in the last decade and half of Americans believe in the Occult, like astrology, especially young people.

It's a good question about shaking off the dust. I'm reminded of the parable of the Barren Fig Tree of Luke 13. I wrote a poem about it.

A man had a fig tree planted in his yard
And could find no fruit though he looked very hard
So he said to the man who took care of the tree
"I've been coming here for how many years? Three!
I've found no fruit inspite of the toil.
Why should it even use up the soil?"
"Sir," he replied, "Leave it one more year,
I'll dig around it and fertilize with care.
If then it bears fruit, that will be good!
If not, we'll make it into firewood."

From Bible Rap​

So, if you want to put a number to it, maybe four years.

A guy I've been discipling has been ministering to the homeless and drug addicts in Chelsea, MA for a good 9 years and he's thinking of transitioning to either to another country or Chicago as he about had it with the lack of response. I also tend to persist perhaps longer than I should. Yes you should feel free to transition when after a number of years there's little response.

 

[dqhall]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

If I shake the dust of this town off of my feet, I am moving on. Not that it will be better in the next place, nor that it will be worse. Might be better if I rent than buy in the next place as I do not know if I will stay.

 

[bcbsr]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.



When I was a kid I used to be fairly nonjudgmental, to the point of questioning whether God was too harsh. But after a few decades of humanity’s nonsense I find myself sitting with Jonah, looking at Ninevah and wanting to watch God burn it. I talked with the Chaplains about it but part of me wonders if I am slipping into the wrong, or if there are parts of society that are reaching that “sandal dusting” point.

I’m about to the point of considering American society toxic and no longer worth the investment. The climate of rage and hate has become so palpable as to become noxious.

I keep wondering whether it’s me or whether society is reaching that tipping point. Goodness knows I’ve been working through a lot of issues that have shortened my temper. The closing of Compassion in India, and all of the fake news being spread about Christians there has soured my attitude toward a people I used to have a lot of love for. And I wonder if I’m just getting too cynical. But I’ve talked with my pastors and they both seem to have similar misgivings.

I keep waffling between thinking it’s me and thinking that society in general has become toxic and just isn’t worth the investment. And that’s why I wanted to pose this question. When do you kick the dust from your sandals? When does a person, a people, or a culture no longer warrant your outreach? Part of me wants to sit with my loved ones behind spiritual walls and just leave society to it’s madness and wonders if society has become so corrupted that it CAN’T be reached anymore. But when does one determine that?

I had another thought as well. At the end of Acts it says, "From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: "’Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ "Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" Acts 28:23-28

And then it continues, "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him."

So again the years thing comes up. It's typically a matter of years. Jesus ministered for a few years on earth.

And there is some relevance to these forums. I debate my opposition (typically salvation by works Christians), though obviously not for a matter of years on any one thread. But there comes a point where it seems pointless to argue more when I've given sufficient information for a reasonable person to be convinced, even allowing more than that, and simply stop posting to that thread. The advantage of these forums is that a third party can be listening in, so though I know that my opposition won't capitulate, I could be convincing others listening in and providing an example how to debate such people.

 

[dqhall]

I had another thought as well. At the end of Acts it says, "From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: "’Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ "Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" Acts 28:23-28

And then it continues, "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him."

So again the years thing comes up. It's typically a matter of years. Jesus ministered for a few years on earth.

And there is some relevance to these forums. I debate my opposition (typically salvation by works Christians), though obviously not for a matter of years on any one thread. But there comes a point where it seems pointless to argue more when I've given sufficient information for a reasonable person to be convinced, even allowing more than that, and simply stop posting to that thread. The advantage of these forums is that a third party can be listening in, so though I know that my opposition won't capitulate, I could be convincing others listening in and providing an example how to debate such people.

Salvation by faith or works is a circular argument. You need faith to do good works and if you can not do good works you have not faith.

I like the part about Paul staying in a house receiving visitors. He had the gift of healing sometimes. He spoke Greek, Aramaic and maybe Latin. He was Jewish, but Rome was a metropolitan area with some diversity.

 

[bcbsr]

Salvation by faith or works is a circular argument. You need faith to do good works and if you can not do good works you have not faith.

I like the part about Paul staying in a house receiving visitors. He had the gift of healing sometimes. He spoke Greek, Aramaic and maybe Latin. He was Jewish, but Rome was a metropolitan area with some diversity.

No, it's not a circular argument to say that salvation is by faith apart from works, as Paul also says, "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works" Rom 4:4-6

Are you saying that Paul's statement is a circular argument?

 

[RDKirk]

The Bible says that there does come a time when one should “shake the dust from their sandals” and forego any further efforts of ministry. I was wondering when one considers this time should be.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. -- Matthew 7

One of the things one should realize about God through both the OT and the NT is that God never, ever worries about numbers.

We see Him time and again in the OT reducing the numbers to only a very faithful few. We see Him angered when His people count their numbers. God never cares about "too few."

And in His economy, it's worth it to expend His maximum effort just to for one.

There was an evangelist sent by his denomination to a country in the Far East to set up a mission.

He and his wife worked there for seven years to start a congregation. They picked up one local convert very quickly, but in the entire seven years, that one man and his family was the only family that became Christians. No one else even entered the sanctuary to hear a sermon.

At the end of seven years, the mission effort was deemed a failure and the evangelist was recalled by his denomination.

A number of years later, they decided to try again and sent another evangelist to that town. The second evangelist found a large bustling, vibrant congregation. The pastor was...that local man who had first been converted.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, -- John 6

This should be a great comfort to the evangelist. This verse says at least two things:

One, the numbers are not the responsibility of the evangelist. God sets the numbers at His own discretion.

Two, the evangelist is going after specific people, not everyone. There are people out there who have been enabled to accept the gospel. And they don't even know they're enabled.

If the evangelist goes where the Holy Spirit is directing him and says what he's told by the Holy Spirit to say, there will be someone waiting to hear and receive the gospel, and those people--maybe it's only one person--will accept the gospel. But never worry about the numbers, because the numbers are God's responsibility.

This concept of God's enablement is a huge one to grasp. It means that the evangelist is not making "cold calls," but is looking for people who have already been warmed and prepared.

He just has to avoid screwing it up, which might cause someone to go longer before hearing the gospel the way that person needs to hear it.

Back in the early 60s, an atheist named Madelyn Murray O'Hair took the government to court to prevent her son from having to recite the Lord's Prayer in school. She went all the way to the Supreme Court and prevailed: It became illegal for schools to lead children in reciting the Lord's Prayer.

Yet, the boy at the center of all that, her son Bill, grew up to repudiate his mother's atheism, departed from entirely from his own mother, and became a born-again Christian.

I had a philosophy professor, named Stein, who had been born a Jew but became an atheist because Judaism did not satisfy him. He had studied a myriad of philosophies for years, traveled all around the world. But nothing seemed right. Finally, he looked at the religion that he'd never bothered to look at before--because he'd always heard about it and thought he knew all he needed to know about it: Christianity. And there he found fulfillment. (How I came to know his story was one of those "long, strange journeys," but it was a God-determined appointment.

I know another couple of people like that. One is a Chinese woman I met in Illinois who had grown up in China. She reports that being raised by that atheist regime, she had been taught that religion was for ignorant, uneducated peasants. Yet, although educated and enlightened, she was so depressed by what she felt was a useless life that she was close to suicide.

Then she took an English course in college taught by who she knew and regarded as a brilliant American. Then she learned that he was Christian and was amazed that someone who was so intelligent could yet be religious. She visited his family, asked about his beliefs, and became a Christian.

I know another woman who I met in Honolulu who had been a prostitute. I heard her story from both sides, both from her and from the street evangelist who preached to her.

The church had decided to begin a street ministry to the prostitutes on the infamous Hotel Street (if you've ever read the book or have seen the movie "From Here to Eternity").

The first night they set up a podium on the corner and preached for an hour. They didn't seem to attract any interest, but they finished the sermon and began packing up and getting back into the van.

Then one woman walked right up to the evangelist. She confronted him directly and actually put her finger on his collarbone and demanded, "That stuff you said about being a new creation in Christ and all the old things going away...is that the truth?"

He assured her that it was. She looked thoughtful, nodded...but then walked away.

As the evangelist team drove away, they compared their mental notes and realized that the entire time they were preaching, that woman had never seemed to be paying attention...but she'd also never wandered out of earshot.

The next Saturday night, they set back up on the same street corner. But immediately they heard a shout from down the street and saw that woman running toward them. She stumbled at one point in her high heels, then ripped them off and tossed them into the street. She got to them and declared that she was done with her life and wanted a new one.

Later in a bible study, I got to hear her side of the story. She said that she had heard many other street preachers who had pointed at her and pronounced that she was a horrible sinner, destined for hell. And she'd believed that--she in fact already knew that. Like my philosophy professor, like the Chinese woman, she'd already felt the condemnation. But nobody before had ever actually given her the Good News.

People who are enabled don't even know they're enabled.

 

[Yekcidmij]

Shaking the dust from your sandals is probably a sort of insult, just as it would be today in the middle east if you were to show a person the bottom of your foot and proceed to shake the dust off in their house. It could be the equivalent of saying that even their town's dirt wasn't good enough for the bottom of his followers feet. This isn't simply about moving on, but it's making a rather bold statement to go with it.

 

[RDKirk]

Shaking the dust from your sandals is probably a sort of insult, just as it would be today in the middle east if you were to show a person the bottom of your foot and proceed to shake the dust off in their house. It could be the equivalent of saying that even their town's dirt wasn't good enough for the bottom of his followers feet. This isn't simply about moving on, but it's making a rather bold statement to go with it.

If you have gone where the Holy Spirit directs and spoken the words of Jesus, those who are enabled will respond. Then it's time to move on. Converting everyone isn't your job. There may be places where nobody has been enabled, and you weren't paying attention when the Holy Spirit had told you to go elsewhere.

 

[ICONO'CLAST]

mt7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

prov26:
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

2cor2:
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

 

[Tyler82]

You sound like Jesus disciples who asked the Lord about calling down fire upon the inhabitants of a village of Samaria ...

“When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they went on to another village” (Luke 9:51-56 NASV).

No doubt. I know my patience and temper have eroded. I feel more like the man in the debt parable. Every time I'm about to lose my cool with the nonsense this society generates I get a stern look and a presentation of my tab.