Even though Jesus and the apostles taught and engaged in the ministry of good works, the Gospel was always proclaimed through the spoken word!
A friend and supporter of ACTION’s ministry of proclaiming the Gospel through word and deed is Stuart Briscoe. In his recent January “Telling the Truth” letter he emphasizes the power of words. His letter is as follows:
________________________________________________________
January 2008
Dear Friend,
In early June of 1940, Winston Churchill fully expected that he would have to report to the House of Commons, in his own words, "The greatest military disaster in our long history." But instead he announced, incredibly, that the British and allied armies had been rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk and more than 330,000 men lived to fight another day.
He reminded the Commons, however, that "wars are not won by evacuations." He went on to describe ways in which an expected invasion would be countered. Then came his famous rousing peroration: "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. . . . we shall fight on the beaches . . . . we shall never surrender."
Franklin D. Roosevelt, upon hearing this speech, reportedly said (expletives deleted), "Our money won't be going down the drain if this fellow's in charge!" And years later in the diaries of Dr. Goebbels, we are told Adolph Hitler, on hearing Churchill's description of the plans to repel any Nazi invasion, backed off invading England, attacked Russia, and the tide of war changed. Words played a crucial role.
The power of the spoken and written word cannot be exaggerated. We should never forget that the story of creation hinges on what God said and what happened as a result! The power of the word.
But the power of the word can be overlooked, diminished, or disregarded - even in the church - sometimes with the very best of intentions.
For instance, irrelevance is one of the most common criticisms aimed at the evangelical church. With a view to countering this criticism, many churches have mobilized their people into effective and commendable social activities among the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. Where this has happened, society has frequently applauded the church, and there is no doubt great good has been done.
But it is also very clear that when the church turns to proclaiming an uncompromising, uncomplicated message calling for repentance and faith in Christ as the only Savior, the same society becomes, at worst, hostile and, at best, less than pleased. So perhaps it is not surprising for this and other reasons that a new twist to evangelical witness has taken place - social concern has trumped evangelism, and "mission" has been increasingly defined as social action.
I have even heard St. Francis of Assisi's famous quote, "Preach the Gospel wherever you go, and if necessary, use words," cited in support of this emphasis. Where necessary, use words? . . . Of course it's necessary to use words!
It is clear you can communicate love with a cup of cold water - and we should and we must. Naturally, you can stand up for justice by picketing, and battle poverty by rebuilding a ravaged neighborhood. But why should we?
Because "Christ's love compels us" (2 Cor. 5:14), and the beneficiaries of our love and compassion need to know that. We do "good deeds before men" that men and women will "praise (y)our Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). But how will they know to respond that way? How will they understand that? How will they connect the dots between good deeds and God? By an arm around their shoulders, by a warm meal in their stomachs? - No!
They will only grasp the significance of Christian action by words that explain what can only be explained by verbal communication . . . WORDS! We must articulate as we demonstrate; we must explain as we exhibit; we must tell as we show.
We've been exhorted for years to "walk the talk." Maybe now we need to be reminded to "talk the walk." Try communicating "Christ loves you" by rubbing a back. Try describing the holiness of God by hammering nails. There is no substitute for words.
As we embark on a new year, anything can happen - a Middle East peace accord? A major terrorist attack? A financial collapse? Tsunamis? Earthquakes? Worldwide spiritual revival? Who knows?
Amidst such uncertainty, this is what we plan to do in Telling the Truth, God willing:
• Keep our feet firmly planted in our world,
• Keep our hands filled with the things that need to be done,
• Keep our hearts in tune with heaven, and
• Keep our eyes fixed on the Risen Lord, our lips filled with praise, and our mouths filled with the Gospel - the Word of Truth (Eph. 1:13).
To this end, please pray regularly for us that we will have something to say, that we will say it well, and that it will be said in the power of the Spirit.
Please also remember that broadcasting the Word - Telling the Truth is another way of saying it - is expensive. So we cherish your regular, generous, and gracious financial support this month and in the new year. We wish you nothing less than His best in 2008.
Every Blessing,
Stuart Briscoe
Telling the Truth
777 South Barker Road
Brookfield, WI 53045
800-889-5388
info@tellingthetruth.org
www.tellingthetruth.org
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