To speak or not to speak – this is the question?
Or perhaps it should be ‘how to speak?’
We live in a world where the rights of man are rising, the voices of differences of opinion are growing stronger and louder. The justice of the world, right and wrong as seen through our own eyes, starting to arise.
In this nation of NZ where "tall poppy syndrome' has been an issue as the accepted norm of the past, people are breaking out, rising up and learning to use their voice. As rightly we ought as Christians. All good things to happen, all needed to happen. For the bride to stand, awaken and arise and to shine for righteousness and justice. To stand up for the poor and needy, to speak on behalf of those who can't.
With anything new, you have the swings in the spectrums as we all learn how to walk in a new way. We say things more strongly than we ought, or perhaps we say things weaker where watering it down and don’t come across to effect any change.
I stand on the side-lines of history taking
place and see the different voices rising and what is now my part to stand up
and speak. What I am called to ‘stand’
for? Each of us called to stand up for
something different.
My heart is for the bride of Christ, I weep for the bride, I stand for righteousness and truth within the bride of Christ, so that she may be one who walks in power and not just talk. Without righteousness and truth we have no power. We are simply hypocrites, the very label we are given by the ‘world'.
I am called by the Lord to speak to pastors and leaders, not something of my own desire but something the Lord has laid upon me, whether it be teaching, training, equipping or whatever the need. Anyone who is wanting to stand up and speak and have their opinion heard,
is a leader. People follow you and they will judge you by your words and your actions, as I too am judged by yourselves for mine also.
In my own journey as wife, mother, friend,
missionary, itinerant preacher, pastor, teacher, and leader, I have had quite a
journey and background in experience and it's not over yet. In
learning where I have said something wrong, perhaps in the wrong tone, or in the wrong way, something with anger, something out of reaction, with and without authority, all
seeing the effects of the way I speak, rightly or wrongly. Right heart, right
motive, right stand for justice and righteousness but perhaps spoken wrongly at times.
Someone I listened to the other day said that the ‘ultimate act of love was to speak truth’ and I totally agree, but I also believe the one that comes with power to effect change, is one who speaks the truth in love.
Jesus came and spoke as 'one who had authority'. He already was love incarnate. And yet where and when did He use that authority? He spoke to the pharisees, the religious leaders of the day with authority because of the neglect of justice, mercy & faithfulness (Matt 23:23). He rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith, he got angry in the temple courts because of the money changing tables. He challenged those within His Fathers house that were not walking in righteousness and in truth and he challenged quite strongly at times that upset peoples thinking.
To the world however, those not of His Kingdom, He spoke in parables. He spoke in a way that made them stop and think and question, using real life examples they might understand, should they go deeper. I Cor 9:19-23...To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its' blessings."
There was one standard with the world, and one with
Who is your audience? What are you wanting to say? And why?
Are the motives of your heart right to build up and encourage, speak truth in love to see change or are you simply wanting your opinion heard because you disagree with what is being said or done?
Does what we have to say is it intending to stir up descension or division? Or does it come with love having the other person’s best at heart? If you were receiving it, would you like to receive it that way.? Perhaps asking the question, am I walking in peace because if you are walking in peace you will most likely see a better outcome.
Perhaps our intent is for good to see change, but it stirs up discension and division then perhaps we may simply need to change the way to speak so that our listeners can hear it?
I have had to and continue to have to change the way I speak and I still occasionally say it wrong, as I learn to negotiate my different listeners and where they are at, as to what they can receive.
Every audience is different, just as Jesus’ way he spoke to the Pharisees was different to the way he spoke to ‘unbelievers’. If our tongue, whether it be in a text, on a facebook post, or spoken, is a weapon and our words have power to build up and tear down, to have life and death on it, what could it look like to say it well? To see people receive what you are saying and the change come into being, without judgement, without perhaps criticism, and without pressure.
James 3:5 “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.” V8 “With our tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing."
It is certainly challenging to say the right thing the right way all the time and I know from my own experience I cannot do it without the Lords' help, but I know as it says in James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” There is grace and there is forgiveness for your mistakes., We are no longer under law but under grace and freedom.
We know the effects of things spoken badly, we know there is
always room for improvement on the way we speak. None of us get it right
(especially me it seems as I am continually having to revisit this), but let’s be a people that grow in the fruit of the spirit to a place that when we speak our
love is louder than our words. That if
we say it the wrong way, that people would know that the intent of our heart
and motive is one of love, to build the other up to the knowledge of God. That we would show love that forgive,s as
Christ forgave us, while we were yet sinners.
Bless you all in this journey in this new wine skin of
learning to arise and shine and to speak the truth in love to effect change in the
world in which we live.
In summary, some practical pointers I have learnt that may be helpful;
1. Do you have the best for the other person at heart or are you seeing the dirt/speck? If so wait until you see the good in the other person or situation that you are speaking too.
2. Do you come in peace, having worked it through with the Lord?
3. Do you need to speak? Are you speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, or perhaps you are defending the rights of the poor and needy?
4. Is it stiring up discension or is it bringing a solution to the problem?
4. Can it wait?
5. Are you reacting or responding?
6. Who is your audience and are you meeting them where they are at?
