Pr 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue:…”
A small boy was told not to walk across a muddy field. When he came home, his mother asked if he had walked over the field. He said no mama, you told me not to. She merely pointed to his shoes covered in mud. His feet were inconsistent with his speech. He told a lie but his feet told the truth. As Christians, our feet need to speak the same as our speech.
Speaking the Truth in Love
by Pastor Tommy Hill
As we understand the power in the spoken word, power to hurt or heal, help or hinder, how do we walk in this world and convey Christian truths to those we meet? We find our answer in Col 4:5-6, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” The answer to how we can walk is found in Col. 4:5-6. First, we must;
WALK IN WISDOM: This walk refers to our actions and activities (our life). We know there are times when a Christian’s walk is not consistent with his profession, but our inconsistencies should not be the norm. A professed believer was speaking to an unbeliever about his need to trust Christ when he was told, “Excuse me, but what you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” He was letting the professed believer know that he saw his life as something other than his stated beliefs. We should never walk in a manner that brings reproach to the name of Jesus.
When we display the right character, say the right words, employ the right tact, we walk in wisdom. Walking in wisdom will not put them off but pull them in. The church is to progress along in the world guided by the wisdom of God.
Our concern is to be, “toward them,” who are without the church so that we display behavior that encourages them to consider their need to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to redeem (implying something costly) the time we have by demonstrating the love of our Lord, being willing to pay the price to win them to Jesus, consistent and unwavering in our faith and practice.
SPEAK WITH GRACE: Our speech is to be filled with wisdom. James 3 warns us of the trouble our tongue can bring upon others, but the tongue can also be a source of GREAT blessings. When we speak with grace, we are displaying the spiritual disposition of God. Those without should recognize our relationship with God by our speech and actions, then they will know we have been with Jesus.
KNOW WHAT TO SAY: It is just as important to know what to say as how to say it. When speaking about Biblical truths our greatest resource is the Bible itself and the Bible tells us what to say. In 1 Peter 3:15 we are commanded to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” This is how we fulfill Col. 4:5-6, “with meekness and fear:”
In recent events within our great state of North carolina there have been some decisions made that have resulted in much concern and controversy. Let us, as Christians, stand fast on the truth of God’s Word while at the same time walking in wisdom. Our view of what is or is not sin should always be based on the Bible. Our response to biblical truth should always adhere to biblical principles. We should never commit sin while standing for biblical truth.
When we try to explain to other’s the reasonableness of our belief there is a proper way to do it, a true Christian spirit in which to talk. May we continue to stand on biblical truth but still “speak the truth in love.” There’s power in what you say and how you say it. God Bless!
Pastor Tommy Hill is the pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Hamlet. He is a Richmond County native. He can be reached at firstfwbchurchhamlet@gmail.com
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