January 21, 2008
Speaking the Truth
Failing to speak the truth should not to be confused with telling a lie. For whatever political reason, there are times in the church when, by omission or suppression, we don’t speak the truth. By allowing ourselves to be muzzled, we do more than fall victim to those who would lord their authority over us. Peter and John showed courage when they were commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. They responded, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 NIV) It’s probably not accurate to portray believers in America today as cowardly, but when was the last time you heard someone describe a fellow believer as speaking with courage?
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Gail;
-----Speaking with courage can also be a dangerous thing. Some at the church I attend spoke with courage and left, some spoke with courage and remained. The leaders at your church spoke their part with courage and remade the entire church culture, over which many others left. Speaking with courage should not be done unless the one speaking knows certainly that his message is true. The church has been led into so many divisions by men who courageously stood for what they thought was right, without consideration for what others thought was right. A few times there have been splits in a church over actual right and wrong, only there does courage have its place beside the truth.
-----I think the reason we find so few people willing to speak the truth boldly is because there have been too many conceited leaders in the church insisting on their own ways, and denying the ways of anyone else. As a result, people are confused about what is the truth. God speaks of His people as sheep because He made them to be like sheep, more in the nature of followers than of leaders. This is not to say none should be leaders, there should be many more leaders than there are, in my opinion. But it is to say that even the leaders should be more in the nature of follower than are those they lead. For Jesus Christ is the head of His church, and He gave us the Word of God and His Spirit through which to effect His leadership. Every leader should follow the Word with precision.
-----But the leaders at your church are a great example of throwing great portions of the Word out the back door in order to pull their own way through the front door. So also are those at the denominational pinnacle of the church where I worship. They both are sure that they have the truth, but neither of them will make humble use of the yardstick given to them for measuring the truth of their messages. When most of our messages are humbly measured, observers open to the truth see there are not a lot of issues we know with certain clarity. They recognize that this is the condition Paul spoke of when he stated, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (I Cor 13:12). Indeed, it is the courageous speaker who will realize this, and who will limit his speaking to only that truth which can be known with certain clarity. On all other issues, his courage will allow him to reference other valid points of view and accept those who hold them, without demanding change from them.
-----You are right Gail, speaking courageously is a diminishing activity in the church today, because knowing carelessly, selfish ambition, and vein conceits have fostered confusion amongst us, not unity. I think most of the people in the church sense the freedom in the confusion, but they just do not know what to do with it, how to bring it to prominence so there can become unity in spite of the confusion. They have not seen debatable issues treated with Biblical godliness. And that takes courage.
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