What Do You Say?

Ephesians 4:29  “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

It is so easy to let words fly off our tongues and spew out of our mouths unchecked and unthought of…. We are all guilty of this, and I often – more than most. The above verse hit me like a semi skidding into a jackknifed position against oncoming traffic! Why? Well, I have noticed a terrible trend among believers today – with the need to stand up and speak truth, we have forgotten the need to “be gentle and patient, able to teach – even when we have been wronged.” And, for some ungodly reason, we feel it is a right to fly off the handle without regard of the damage it does to those listening – not just the one who needed a good stern rebuke, but the on listeners that are in earshot of the conversations.

So we understand what is meant here by Paul, as the Lord led him, through the Holy Spirit to write to the Ephesians, here are the definitions of some terms in the above verse:

Corrupt Communication = rotten – worthless – putrefied thoughts – talk – topics – reasoning – motives – expressions

Building Up = architecture, structure, confirmation, edifying

That it May Give = ministers – brings forth – delivers – yields

Same goes for the right kind of discourses and discussions. There are times to lay the foundation, to check the materials, to take out the mismeasurements of terms and premises, and certainly the tones and motives. Some edifying means some correcting and confrontation that will build back the right way and set the right direction.

I think you get the picture. So, what should we do then and how should we say what needs said? It is rather simple – if it lines up with the Scriptures, the Truth and the Holy Spirit – then say it in a grace giving way…. And if it comes from anything else – don’t say it.

Besides, this passage goes along with a parallel Scripture that is even more pointed:

Ephesians 5:3-4  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

So – let’s consider what we say and not speak carelessly, let’s say what needs said and avoid what doesn’t and remember to be holy in our conversation and not horrid with our mouth – after all, what we say, says a lot about our hearts…. And some things just should not be said, let alone thought and harbored like a ship in our hearts.

By Jesus’ Grace,
Pastor Daren

Well – on occasion one runs across something simple yet deeply profound… as we are getting ready to study spiritual warfare and the devils devices through the C.S. Lewis’ “The Screw Tape Letters” (and of course the Scriptures) I thought I would simply share a devotional I recently read about Stephen the martyr:

He Only Had Eyes for God

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed — he only had eyes for God!” (Acts 7:55 The Message)

“But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55 ESV)

It is one of the great, dramatic moments in Scripture — Stephen giving his defense before the High Court of Israel. His presentation was masterful and respectful. His recall of history was exact and compelling. The case he presented was flawless and clear.

But as he spoke he saw the smug indifference etched deep into the faces of his judges. Their hearts were hardened by pride, their eyes blinded by bigotry. Stephen, realizing that nothing he could say was going to change their prejudice, shifted gears and got straight to the point.

“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!” he cried. “You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”

As any student of the pugilist arts knows, no champion ever relies on a single punch to knock out his opponent. No, he peppers him with jabs, rocks him with a one-two combination, and then drops the bomb – a left hook and a blinding overhand right. BAM! Stephen does the same.

While the council was reeling from his stunning indictment, Stephen continued, “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?”

Before they could compose themselves to reply in religious double-speak, he delivered the knockout blow – “Just as your fathers killed those who told us that the Messiah would come, now you, their sons, have betrayed and murdered the very Messiah Himself!”

The Bible says, ” Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” One translations puts it this way, “At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective.” We are then told, “At this the council members covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.”

Amazing, isn’t it, the depth of evil that lurks in the hearts of religious people? From the moment Cain murdered Abel, religion has found no other way but violence to force its claims against those with whom it disagrees.

Oh how quickly those esteemed as holy and impartial judges turn to nothing more than a band of alley thugs. What craziness in the courtroom. What absurdity in the assembly of the astute. What rage erupting from the righteous…..excuse me, I mean to say the religious! For righteous and religious are not one in the same. Indeed, they have nothing in common. One is true, the other false. One is freedom, the other is bondage. One is kind, the other cruel. One is from God, the other comes straight out of hell.

But now, set in sharp relief against this dark backdrop, get the point of our opening text: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed — he only had eyes for God!”

Oh how quickly those esteemed as holy and impartial judges turn to nothing more than a band of alley thugs. What craziness in the courtroom. What absurdity in the assembly of the astute. What rage erupting from the righteous…..excuse me, I mean to say the religious! For righteous and religious are not one in the same. Indeed, they have nothing in common. One is true, the other false. One is freedom, the other is bondage. One is kind, the other cruel. One is from God, the other comes straight out of hell.

But now, set in sharp relief against this dark backdrop, get the point of our opening text: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed — he only had eyes for God!”

Wow. How wonderful it must be to “hardly notice” the dumb, outrageous, banal, and vindictive attacks of the devil through people and circumstances around us. What is the key? How did Stephen manage to remain so detached? The word says, “he only had  eyes for God!”

O Lord, give me eyes only for you!

Fighting the Good Fight,

As Christians we should work every day to be more like Christ.  I know that this is easier said than done; after all, we are only human. We are sinful by nature, and many of us lack self-control, especially when we get angry.    A good example of this is being quick with the tongue and saying things we shouldn’t out of frustration or anger.  I am guilty of this because I let anger get the best of me.  Now, I have gotten better over the years, but it still happens on occasion. 

Now add a two-year-old.  They’re like little sponges soaking up everything they see and hear- listening and repeating what you say.  Often times I don’t think we realize how bad the things we say or do are, when in the presence of other adults, but it hits you pretty hard when an innocent child repeats your words or actions. It becomes very clear just how far from Christ-like you’re acting and how poor of an example you’re setting for them.  In Proverbs 22 vs 6 it says, “teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  That’s a good reminder that as parents it’s even more important to be more Christ-like as the little ones are always watching.  We should also exemplify the fruits of the spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

So, my prayer, for myself and anyone else who needs it, is that we remember that the little ones are watching and listening and we must make a great effort every day to be more like Christ. 

Andrew Hervey

Spiritual Ministry Team Member

Again, here we are – it is the end of the year and the beginning of another, and WOW has the last 365 days passed by like a morning mist…. I have been noticing the busyness of life and have mentioned it before, it seems as the very hours of each day are being cut short. Have you found that it seems like there are not enough minutes in the moments? Have you felt the sense of time running down by speeding up? Have you been sensing the seconds ticking by at a slipping pace? I am convinced and convicted it is time to assess the time and our own lifetime before our time fades away and eternity dawns. Here are a few passages of Scripture that come to mind to assist us in being circumspect regarding our days, our time, and the expedient fleeting nature thereof:

Genesis 6:3  Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

 Psalm 90:10-12  The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

 First – the Bible tells us that God limits our days and life spans. Give or take some years, we don’t have all the time in the world – we have a terminal condition that God has ordained for each one of us. Now, as recorded in Genesis, God saw the evils of mankind due to sin and the fall, he literally gave Noah 120 years to get the ark ready before the flood; yet, God also limited man to only living individually about 120 years after the flood. And if you check the genealogical records found in the Bible, one finds that the years decreased incrementally as the generations went by until it even fell below the 120-year mark. This means each of us, you and I have a very short time on earth. I find it important to keep this in mind as we age so we do not make the mistake of thinking we still have tomorrow or that we somehow will never die.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-17  In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

 Second – how we live impacts the allotted time God has given each of us. And, depending on what we do, on our attitudes, on our worldview, and on our perspective on life. In the above passage, the idea of moderation is apparent. That extremes of evil and trying to be righteous on our own will wear us out and shorten our lives. Wickedness kills us early and trying to be perfectly self-righteous destroys us. Jesus is the only righteousness we can gain through grace, and He said His yoke is light…. We make ourselves heavy laden when we try to do it right on our own. And wickedness – well, it comes natural and we need delivered from it or we will wear ourselves out early and die young.

  Third – it is prophetic that time seems to be going so fast. It is not just to speed things along, but God does it to help His people. No flesh and nor human would be saved otherwise it says. Time is to go quicker and quicker and days shorter and shorter for our sake.

 Romans 13:11  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Ephesians 5:15-16  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Fourth –  We each are called to think about time and to walk with its nature in mind. Clocks tick away not tick in addition. We are called to make the most of each opportunity…. The days we live in are evil, ill and sin sick. Each minute and second is another chance to know Christ better and share Christ more, each day is another day to serve God and others and grow in wisdom with our walk with Jesus at the center… are you circumspect about time and opportunity?

James 4:14  yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Fifth and finally – at least for the time being…. Each of our lives is but a fleeting vapor that dissipates as soon as it appears. Oh, sure some live in a fog and others bring the haze, but you and I dissolve more and more each day. Or at least we should in the warmth and heat of the Son of God. As he dawns in the heart and enlightens the mind – He should increase, and we should decrease. I often think about this verse in these contexts but also in the reality that one day we will be gone. Sooner rather than later, and what will we leave behind? A good and godly memory or will we vanish with the time that others have remaining….

Either way, take time seriously – if not, time will seriously take you.

Counting the Days Until Jesus’ Return,

The Truth may bind you to a tree

The Truth will always set you free

The Truth found wrapped in swaddling clothes

Having come to a world full of trouble, filled with sorrow and woes

A heart that is willing will follow: regardless the cost

A heart wounded and broken will wander; it’s lost

The power, the strength, all healing – comes from above

The cost of salvation: a price, paid out of love

Today as you ponder the stable scene that night

“Fear not” says the child; “I am with you, fight the good fight”

Light has come into the world, for all men to see

From it darkness must scurry, it must in the presence of righteousness – flee

The dark has not understood it

And has cleverly tried to use wit

Disguising, deceiving – being driven by blind grit

Alas, those who embrace it; will with it enter the pit

The truth – Christ the Savior, the Redeemer was given a call

He would cause some to stumble and others to fall

Their cause, they will not loosen: don’t good people always win

But stubbornness, lust – pride – greed covers them in the remnants of sin

Stature will pass as this world withers away

There is a judge who is coming; – very soon, any day

And the world will take notice of what he will say

The truth can bind you to a tree

The truth when spoken can set men free

The truth in the light will help blind men to see

The Truth born in a stable – He came for you, and for me

As darkness sets and the light rises and shines

An opportunity arises for a renewing of your heart and mind

Be reminded all peoples bedazzled by things of the night

That when morning comes, with it comes first light

Look upon the face that came to be near

To lead you, to guide you to free you from fear

To Him you are priceless; by His heart it is clear

You are a treasure, one He holds dear

I cannot fully proclaim who he is or of his love

But I will gladly tell you: grace and mercy come from above

There is none other like him, He himself: is Love

The Truth – He will bind you to heaven above

Turn your eyes towards the tree, to the flight of God’s dove

To Him and by Him power given to rule

Oh, you may to yourself, but to Him never fool

Is your eye on the starling or does it rest on the dove

He is the Way, He is the Truth, and the Life: His only!  Is True Love!