Sometimes words fail me. This may not be a great opening sentence, but please bear with me for a bit. Failing words, I think, is a primary weakness in my various roles in life and most especially as an ambassador of God’s Kingdom. It seems that my alleged weakness is in the process of translating my thoughts into spoken words. This faulty process frequently produces Barney Fife-like fits and spurts of ramblings hugely missing the mark that I so richly and earnestly intend to communicate. Specifically, it’s spoken words that so often escape me…like a handful of BBs. What may seem to most as if I am being sullen or mysteriously silence is most likely me being deeply inarticulate.
Having recently been in a situation where acquaintances were quizzical of my Christian beliefs I again experienced my extraordinary lack of words along with the associated frustration. So I find it is in my best interest to finally meet this echoing frustration eye to eye, and to then examine it and eliminate it. Understanding and resolution of this mental stammer merits pursuit. Moses knew he had a problem in effective verbal communications, yet he managed to get his people out of Egypt
One of the difficulties of this whole big deal with I have with words is, like all those who proclaim God’s Word, I am literally up against the Silvered-Tongued-Devil. (Smooth, he is.) He has skillfully worked and reworked us all with diversionary words from multitudes of angles. He works it repetitively, continually, especially in our unleashed and unrelenting media. In time one thinks, “Well, that really makes sense and it feels right, therefore I believe it enthusiastically.” Of course it does, when the daily media mantra is, “Hey! If it feels good, do it!”
I recall a preacher friend of mine, who spoke once of a young man whose neighbor had a messed up bicycle. Apparently being a competent bicycle repairman, he one day set himself to fix his neighbor’s bicycle’s crooked handlebars and wobbly front wheel. He did it as a favor and a surprise, never telling the man. Well, when it came time for the neighbor to hop on his bike and head to town, he did so and peddled along for about twenty feet and … crashed. He got up sore and confused and complained loudly that some idiot had tampered with and ruined his bicycle. It seems over time and un-noticed, the bicycle had fallen out of “rightness” and he became used to and was satisfied with riding it “wrong”. Some times when we are used to it, we prefer wrong.
It can be understood that spiritual deception (lies / untruths) that he continually spews have been ingrained in our cultures from the earliest generations, which devise has predisposed us to readily accept distortions as the norm. With each generation the packaging becomes more sophisticated; deceit mingled with just enough truth so there is some goodness and allure to it. But the pseudo ideal is always missing the very specific core of truth that God will not back down on, nor change as the foundation of truth. And that is that for mankind, the way to Him, the only way to Him even in this day and age, is through His Son Jesus Christ. That is how He has set it up for us. This, after all, is God’s decision; He didn’t set this up through approval of a sub-committee of men. It is therefore to be understood that if you reject Jesus, His Son, you reject the very essence of God Himself. His son is the vehicle through whom He has presented and given mankind access to himself. All else is deceit, beautiful perhaps, yet deceit nevertheless.
Act 4:12 - 20 Neither is there salvation any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Christ is God’s manifestation of Himself to mankind. (Read John 1:1-12). When Christ is rejected, God’s whole big point is completely missed and one is left standing there with crooked handlebars.
No matter what tradition or accepted cultural or personal experiences dictate, it is Christ alone whom God has Himself designated as mankind’s Master /Lord. To reject His Christ is to reject His precepts. Jesus is someone who merits
John 1:10-13: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
There is no other personage or name that God provided or endorsed who gives us entrance, introduction, relationship, citizenship into eternity as children of God. There is no other personage through whom God provided for us the spiritual condition that is required and which enables the relationship of being his beloved child/offspring and all that this relationship enables.
There ARE other gods. The Bible supports this repeatedly. It is well supported however in our times to think that they are all the same God. It is popular and perhaps relevant to think that we all worship the same one but simply because of culture and experience give him different names focusing on different attributes. But God refutes this. And this very concept of there really being only one God, that they’re all the same, seems to be one of the consistent themes of man’s error in God’s own record of man’s history. This concept is usually paired with the idea that all we need to do to “tap” into God is to realize and discover the God within us which then unites us with all humanity and the huge potentials and powers that are thus reached. We so badly want to live as “one”. Although it is widely popular and persuasive it is essentially self worship propagated from the most ancient of times to deflect worship from a separate eternal and much greater being outside of the person to one within. This is simply the spin that the adversary first promoted in the garden when he said “You shall be as Gods.” Argument can be taken, but worship is to be toward God not toward the self. God is separate from you, you are not God.
So, this where my mountain rises: How can I neutralize objections that arise out of so great a vista of error that people so profoundly accept? As a supposed communicator of God’s thoughts to his people, I am called upon at times to shepherd people into the fold. How can they hear unless someone preaches? Yet I find more often than not, to the point of avoidance, that my spoken words are little more than fodder for their folly and for them to toy with. I have found myself rarely daring speak to unbelieving people of the scriptures unless they demonstrate an interest in our Christ. Not because I am ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but because through my experience people are not listening for truth – but they are listening for faulty or issues that do not line up with new-religious propaganda and agendas. Or really anything to harrumph and use as reason for their rejection.
I have found throughout the years, that unless a person is genuinely seeking God they simply ask questions of Christians to toy with them, or me, and then to spew out their own sparsely thought-out-ideas and regurgitations of popular or even arcane readings. They ask questions of which they already have their own answers. Even as predictable, contradicting and vague as the offered alternative concepts often are, they seem well rehearsed and packaged, quoting significant and popular orators and philosophers. Man’s wisdom has a long history; that is, long in Man’s viewpoint. It seems that people consider Christianity only as a last resort - an unintended and unfortunate destination; the New Jersey
Now, for examination of the problem, I continue. Three co-existing efforts have affected this “avoidance at all costs” of modern Christianity. The first, is even Christianity in its purest form is un-natural to mankind. Christ can only be spiritually discerned. 1st Corinthians 2:14 states: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The entire concept of a kinsman redeemer for mankind, the acknowledgement and acceptance of a Spiritual Kingdom
This brings me to the second effort. (John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.) That is of our God’s adversary whose station it is to at all costs keep people from entry into God’s kingdom. His history is long; how he came to be is another topic for another time, so let it suffice to say for now that we (Christians) have an enemy. He is Lucifer, he is very real, very subliminal and he seeks only to steal, kill and destroy the Word of God and its effect out of every detail of every human life on this earth; believer or unbeliever. Since he’s been around a while and knows mankind’s basic character and limitations, he, that Silver-Tongued-Devil, has become remarkably good at his job. He has offered altered systems of thought poignantly arranged with every cultural nuance, every level of every system of education, philosophy, sports, lifestyle, social class, arts, science, politics, government, climate, financial, marketing and industrial and even the military. The threads of change have been woven in over the centuries. He is a master of his passion.
Thirdly, he has also entered and invested himself fully in every religious system on earth – including, (and I might stress), Christianity. He has in recent times been making very bold and effectual efforts to legally neutralize Gods Word in my country and even among its churches. In ever expanding arenas, God’s Holy Word (Writings or words that He has separated, ie: made holy), is becoming inappropriate, unwelcomed, and at best permitted and marginally tolerated. It has become in the most visible arenas watered down, largely compromised so as to be more marketable to various demographics slices of society. Through that, its true value and effectiveness has been successfully altered so that, faith has been replaced with “socially acceptable” and satisfying emotion. Careful contemplation of God’s thoughts has been replaced with faddish novels and cute quotes embellished with muted greens and browns to match any décor. The orchestration of the adversary has skillfully projected present-day Protestant Christianity to appear as an unnecessary sideshow; at best, awkward and eye-rollingly tolerated. It is comically portrayed as a cohesive group of Bible toting, nutty and inconsistent, emotional drama addicts returning week by week for an hour of primal group cry, shout, hand waving, hugs and sing-alongs for which they pay dearly through quilt-tithes, and from which they walk away from with short-term memory of the principles they just heard toward their shallow and ignorant lives. Christians are among the most ignorant of Christian History and of the Scriptures! Mis-use of the scripture for personal or political gain is common. That is what is primarily projected in the media and in many cases and unfortunate reality where a shallow form of Godliness through religion, rather than Godliness, has taken hold. It has become ugly. Many are even projecting that devout Christians are a threat to national security as they are fanatics and dangerous. It’s a difficult prelude to presenting the real thing.
The recent conversation I had that kindled this writing involved acquaintances with whom I have history. They know me well enough to understand that I’m not a shallow person. That I’m kind, considerate, thoughtful and not given to flippancy or disrespect. They have been the same with me …mostly. They have been cautiously curious about my Christianity, in the aftermath, and as I suspected it would be, they are curious of it as an oddity – as if I unknowingly have dog doo on my shoe, this Christianity of mine. Surprised that I just don’t know better. I knew I had been dismissed before I even fully answered their first question. It is the new rule that politeness or respect does not have to be extended toward the Christian Faith; (but only that faith). It is OK to openly give a “knowing look” to each other as if to say, “Oh brother!”. It was kinda sad.
But as I look back to that situation where I was not being offensive, Bible thumping, or egotistical I realize that the lack of confidence in what I was speaking was not concerning my in ability, but a reaction to the situation spiritually. My words were falling on dead ears, ones that were not listening for Words of life but for utterance that would validate their crooked handlebars.
1Pe 3:15, 16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and 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: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Chris.t
So this frustration that has been such an issue for me is nothing more than that: a frustration. I can let it be utilized as a mechanism to keep me from ever bothering to again speak of God’s Kingdom to non-believers, maintaining the “Don’t cast your pearls before swine” attitude, or I can claim my position as an ambassador of God. It, my frustration, doesn’t change the truth within or without me. Jesus is still the King of Kings. I am still called to eternity through His name. God’s world view is the viewpoint I embrace and it is Him with whom I enjoy a dynamic and eternal relationship. My responsibility to those who sincerely or insincerely ask me about what I believe about God is simply to have an answer and to speak it the best I can. My purpose and responsibility to God is to be a worshipper and a preacher. I am to “Go, stand , and speak. I am to proclaim the kingdom in a manner that honors God, and to expect opportunities to do so. Although it is my deepest desire that those to whom I speak of God precepts receive life altering understanding, it is not my responsibility that they do. That is solely God’s department.
I am very thankful for having been called out from among the world. I am still after all these years amazed by the vastness, richness and necessity of God’s Word (His thoughts toward us) in the Christian’s walk through this world. I am stunned by who and what God is and what he has prepared for us. I want every part of it, and it is my desire that everyone I know and come to know can fully share and experience God’s reality. I choose not to be offended by my own self for my lack of skillful oration, or by anyone’s or response or lack thereof to my effort to hold forth the Words of Life.
So, if I speak about God and quote His Word to you, please realize that I only do so because God may have something for you in it. Don’t be offended. Realize that I can not harm you with what I tell you even though you may be uncomfortable. I will not belittle you. You’ll most likely soon realize that your not being addressed by a world renown speechifier; just me! But, I will speak only things to build you up and encourage you toward a deeper sort of love and a wider sort of potential, so that perhaps you can join us.. and be as one, with the creator of all things who lovingly and patiently waits for you to be a resident of His Kingdom. That’s all… just saying.
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