It is one thing to stand up for God's truth, but it is another to drive away all those who need to hear it the most.
You drive people away when they feel attacked and quite often, those who feel attacked are those who usually need to hear it the most. Also quite often, those who are called to stand up for Biblical truth do so with a fervor that could drive a nail through a cement block, rather than balanced with love and grace. But that's the catch, balancing fervor and passion for God and His Word with grace and mercy, because quite often the two approaches seem to be mutually exclusive. Grace and mercy run and hide under the nearest rock when fervor and passion begin to pound the pulpit, ya dig? However, I'm also not saying that pounding the pulpit isn't necessary sometimes to get people's attention. Sometimes pounding the pulpit serves as a good reminder that God isn't our "buddy", but the Almighty Creator worthy to be feared and worshiped, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who has definitive boundaries and takes righteousness, sin and judgment very seriously. I'm also not saying that God's truth, in and of itself, isn't offensive to those who simply do not want to hear it.
But all pounding and no grace drives people away. On the other hand, all grace and no pounding rots the fruit of repentance. Fervent truth with merciful grace. Compassion without compromise. That is how you carry people to repentance at the cross.
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