Have you remained silent as people around you said something you know is wrong? I have. Why is it that we say nothing? Are we afraid? Do we deceive ourselves by either saying it will hurt our witness or we do not know how or what to say? Does the church you go to speak about the current culture? Do you regularly pray for your government leaders to hear God’s truth and act appropriately? Do you believe staying silent in the face of sin is a loving thing to do? I do not. If you lack courage to speak up have you asked God for courage? If you lack the words to speak up have you asked the Holy Spirit to speak through you? Let’s look at what God has taught me about how being silent destroys hope.
I recently read a book by Eric Metaxas, Letters to the American Church, he renewed in me the thought I have head for several years now that the Church has lost its prophetic voice. I am not talking about the prophetic voice that predicts the future I am talking about the prophetic voice that confronts the government like in the Bible when Nathan spoke to King David or Jeremiah with King Ahab. A voice that says what you have done or are doing is wrong. When was the last time you saw the Church speak out against the evil the government is doing in our culture today. How often is this failure due to improper understanding of God’s Word. Do we place a higher value on something in the Scriptures than others?
I have heard many say that if we speak the truth then we will limit our ability to witness effectively. Let me share a story. I had a pastor friend whose job was to follow up with new visitors to our church. There was a woman who visited the church who was a practicing a lesbian lifestyle with another woman. She asked how she would be received at the church. My friend said you are welcome to attend but you must understand that we will not condone your lesbianism. She continued to attend. Invited other lesbian friends to attend and in a short while she came up to my friend and said I have accepted Jesus and am giving up my lesbian behavior. In this situation, speaking the truth did not affect the Church’s witness.
In the book “Letters to the American Church” Eric Metaxas compares what is happening in the American church to what happened in the German Lutheran Church in the 1930s. Perhaps we should examine our decisions to remain silent on the history of a church that did. Eric wrote, “In many ways, instead of taking the Church out into the world—and blessing the world—it has shrunk backward into what it mistakenly thinks of as a proper “religious” sphere. This seems to be its misguided way of apologizing for perhaps having been too political in the 1980s and 1990s, when the “Moral Majority” and “Religious Right” were the bogeyman of the secular media, who always accused Christians of being too “political,” as they do today when anything we might say nettles their own uncompromising secular doctrines.” (Metaxas, Eric. Letter to the American Church (p. 3). Salem Books. Kindle Edition.) I would highly recommend you read the book.
I have found in my own studies how I believe we should stand up to the world’s deception to push evil onto us either by condoning it or by celebrating it. I have four passages that primarily have caused me to come to that conclusion. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (ESV); “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”Matthew 7:13-15 (ESV); “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:22-26 (ESV) and “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV). These verses have formed my theology about being engaged with the world. I should engage even though the world will hate me for it. I should be because I am the salt and light the world needs. I should do it gently in love with the desire that all may come to know Jesus and His truth. I should do it prayerfully because prayer makes a difference, and it pleases God and may help others escape from the devil’s schemes.
I pray that you too will join me in standing firm on the Word of God and speak the truth in love as the world around us stays further and further away from God’s perfect plan. It is God’s perfect plan that I have eternal life and you can too. It was because of His Great compassion that He sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus’ to be born die and rise from the dead which is my only source of true hope and it should be yours as well. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here. You can watch a book trailer about my book. You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here. eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google.
I mentioned that I was going through a difficult time right now. If you are interested in what I am going through, you can read about it here.
