Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Defending Truth

I was watching an episode of Dr. Drew this week. I was saddened at the Christian man who was being attacked for his beliefs. Have you noticed that the stage never seems to be balanced with opinions? It is never a winning situation. The Christian man walked away looking beat down. He put himself in a position of publicly arguing the Truth. But what do you do when you believe the truth must be told? Does the Word of God need you to defend it? I look at the life of Christ. He did both. In one situation he went into the temple turning tables over. He saw sin in the house of God and He did something about it. But when He was being wrongly accused, He remained silent. Never once did he try to convince those that cursed and beat Him. When the adulteress woman was brought to Jesus to be stoned, He knelt down and began to draw in the dirt. He didn't argue with her accusers, He just asked them a simple question. Their silent answer sent them away leaving the woman with her Redeemer.

I have a challenge for Christians. Talk to God before you speak. The written Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit. So ask the author what you should do about each situation you encounter. I believe we have good intentions but we end up doing more harm than good. Too many people preach the truth but don't come close to living it. The biggest testimony is our life not our words. The best thing you can do is turn others towards Christ. Don't argue over the Truth. At the same time, we must not diminish the Truth. Believe God's Word and stand firm. But arguing will never lead someone to the answer. In fact, it causes them to run from it. I'm not encouraging you to remain silent, but to ask God first.

God is so much bigger than we tend to give Him credit. We often believe He can't do it without us. Yes, we are the vessel He uses but at the same time He is God. Seek His face and speak the Words He would speak and nothing more. We are to be the light in the darkness. Don't let your mouth be the bushel that hides what the world needs to see. The life of Christ shows us that with each situation life brings, our response may be different from one to the next. But Christ was in relationship with His Father. He spoke what His Father told Him to speak. We must do the same. It is about relationship, not religion.