As a popular meme that has been circulating recently has so aptly stated, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” The reason for the popularity of this message is hard to miss.
The Church is not exempt from this vicious cycle. In fact, perhaps it was better stated by Chris Larson of Ligonier Ministries recently when he said, “Weak preaching produces weak Christians. The church will rise no higher than the pulpit.”
Indeed, the gap between the Biblical worldview and that of the culture around us seems to be ever widening at an accelerating rate. John Stott stated that
“Probably the greatest tragedy of the church throughout its long and checkered history has been its constant tendency to conform to the prevailing culture instead of developing a Christian counter-culture.”
So, what gives? Perhaps, in an effort to win the world, we have preached a weak message with a weak Jesus. This, in turn, has created a church filled with weak believers with no desire or understanding to preach the biblical Christ boldly as objective reality. The “Prince of Preachers” Charles Spurgeon himself said it best:
“I fear that, sometimes, in our endeavors to be sweet in disposition, we have not been strong in principle. ‘Charity’ is a word that is greatly cried up nowadays; but often, it means that, in trying to be courteous, we have also been traitorous.”
Perhaps our intentions are good, but our application has been deeply flawed. We are to “Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15),” but love here speaks to the intentions of the heart, not to our demeanor. So then, it is not the method of truth-speaking that matters most, but the fact that it flows from a genuine and deep-seated love for the truth and for those hearing it.
Why are we seeing such a drift in the culture, and in the church? Because those who have believed the lie have been bolder in their proclamation of the lie (Evolution, Homosexuality, Transgenderism, CRT, etc.) then the church has been about the Truth. Jesus clearly identified Himself as “The Truth (John 14:6.)” The Truth, therefore, ought to be the priority of every believer. The truth ought to be our foremost pursuit, as only the truth has the power to turn things around (Isaiah 55:10-11; John 8:32; Romans 1:16, 10:17).
God has always called His people to open their mouths for Him. It is well past time for Christians everywhere to repent of their fear of “those who kill the body,” and begin to “fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28),” to examine themselves to ensure that they are not those who refuse to confess Him because “they love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God (John 12:42-43).” We ought to remember that Jesus warns us that to “deny him before men” bears dire consequences.
So, Christian, will you begin to stand on the Word of God and push back against the darkness that encroaches upon the truth, even in our hometown? Take heart, for if you do so, you stand with an extensive line of God’s people who have done likewise and whom the LORD has used mightily for His glory.
I cannot help but think how the people of Israel, those who should have been most receptive to the Word of God, must have mocked the prophets, perhaps calling them “squeaky wheels” or “barking dogs” because of their incessant repetition of objective truth. We certainly know they were persecuted (Matt 5:12).
Yes, we will even have those who profess to be God’s people who stop their ears and rush to silence us like they did at Stephen’s proclamation of truth in Acts Chapter 7. Christ Himself was our greatest example. Even He was persecuted for opening His mouth frequently, and publicly with the objective truth against the evil of the world (John 7:7).
Yes, we will lose friends and loved ones. Yes, we will be persecuted. All these are promised. The Scriptures give ample warning that there is a cost to being an ambassador for Christ. (Luke 9:57-62, 14:25-33; Matt 10:34-36; 2 Tim 3:12.)
We know the truth is offensive, but according to John Chrysostom, the early church father, “we must not mind insulting men, if by respecting them we offend God.” The good news is we are also promised blessing in these things as we have the opportunity to identify and share in the very sufferings Christ Himself endured (Matt 5:11-12; 1 Peter 4:12-19.) What a privilege!
Christ will be victorious. His purposes cannot and will not be thwarted. As J. Gresham Machen said, “God has always saved the church, not by theological pacifists, but by sturdy contenders for the truth.” The question for us then is not “Will His Truth prevail?” But rather: “Will I be used by Him to that end?” Will it be you, Christian? Or will you join those on the sidelines with one foot in each world, compartmentalizing your quiet faith to Sundays and Wednesdays?
Dustin served in the United States Marine Corps and spent a few years in California. When he returned to Bartlesville, he began attending church at First Baptist where he eventually surrendered his life to Christ and began pursuing his call to ministry. Dustin has his a degree in Christian Ministry through Spurgeon College at MBTS.
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