Words, Words... they're Good for Your Heart... (or are they?)

First, apologies to those who regularly read this blog (believe it or not, there are a few)... I have been missing in action. My plate is overflowing with work (praise God!): photography, graphic/web design, copywriting, proposals... on & on. All that to say that I am going to schedule to post at least once a week on Crimson on White. What can I say... I'm committed. If I can post more, I will.

Now that that is out of the way, here is the stuff:


Words, Words... they're good for your heart... (or are they?)

Words, words... they're good for your heart, the more you use them, the more you... are likely to sin, or say something totally inappropriate, or 'stick your foot in your mouth,' or brag, or 'blow smoke,' etc. You get the point; they can be damaging. Or, they can be incredible, life-giving & edifying, like a 'breath of fresh air.' I guess what matters is what words you use & when you use them. WORD!

One of the pastors, Craig Cooper, at CCK preached a sermon titled "Encourage One Another Toward Godliness" & he emphasized the power, purpose, & potential of our words. I want to recap some of his points as well as add some of my thoughts on the subject. As a heads up, the good & profound points were likely stated by him not me!

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

Here's the point: Our words should promote joy in/toward others.

Craig offered this definition of Biblical Encouragement: Biblical encouragement is that which instills courage/hope in the heart of the believer in the fight of faith.

Scripture offers a clear contrast on the power of our words:

• Words can either be corrupting or good for up-building
• Words can be damaging or edifying
• Words can either promote strife/trouble or peace/unity
• Our words matter to God & they affect those around us

I paraphrase CJ Mahaney who encourages believers to be "...wisely forbidding any & all speech detrimental to others." As another author said, "Incivility is storming the gates." Wouldn't you agree? It is all too common for us to hear words of incivility that are laced with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, false report, maliciousness... words that lessens another's esteem or reputation (Eph 4:31). Often we justify our behavior by a 'passive resistance' towards this type of conversation. We refuse to step in & say, "I'm sorry friend, but have you discussed this with _____, I think it would serve you both to speak with him about this." Or, "It sounds to me that you are holding on to some real bitterness in your heart towards _____. You should talk with him privately." Rather, we often are guilty by association or guilty by participation. Gossip & such feeds our ego & spirit of superiority over others. We feel like we now own something over them if we have evidence of their misbehavior, sin, or character deficiencies. It's like a drug.

Yet it doesn't have to be this way. We learn from Scripture the character of God who is One who always speaks in a way fitting for the moment, whose words encourage & build & promotes joy in others. God gives grace to those who hear His voice. As JC Ryle speaks of one whom you'd be "...warmed by their company as though your soul warmed by fire." God's words warm our souls. And our words can do the same.
A few questions for reflection might be:

• What are others most aware of in me?
• Are you more aware of my encouragement or criticism?
  

Every single conversation we have has the potential to give grace to those who hear. What a wonderful & awesome potential we steward! It makes me think twice about what kind of conversations I regular.

Craig offered some clarification as to what biblical encouragement is not; I found this extremely helpful. Biblical encouragement is not flattery, compliments, or kind/polite words. We are thankful for all those things but they are not biblical encouragement. Rather, biblical encouragement is imparting/instilling courage/hope in the heart of the believer in the fight of faith. It is God-centered, revealing God's character, & saturated with Scripture... so that... the person we interact with receives grace. We should point out where God is at work in others. In essence, we can see a spark of God's activity in others & fuel that flame by speaking God's character over that person's life.

Last points of application.

1. Look for God's activity in others' lives.
2. When you see it, communicate it specifically.

I hope that these words give grace to you & encourage you in the fight of faith. Lord bless & keep you, make His face shine on you, the Lord lift up His countenance on you & give you peace.

Two Ways of Reading & Interpreting Scripture

Wednesday morning in our men's group this topic came up again & it compelled me to remind myself of this important principle. I'm sure I have even blogged about this before. But, it seems clear to me that there are two very distinct ways to read & interpret the Bible: man-centered vs. God-centered. The distinction may seem quite subtle but it is not. One way is quite dangerous for the reader & hearer. In fact, I can already hear a rebuttal... "well at least they are reading the Bible." In many respects I agree & if you would've asked me three years ago, I wouldn't have discerned the difference very well. There is a big difference between the two. May I offer an example.

[I would compel you to listen to this wonderful sermon example of a God-centered perspective in preaching, listen to David Prince's "David & Goliath We Never Knew You: The Good News that the Bible Is Not All About You." The below example is revised from Prince's sermon.]

Scripture passage: 1 Samuel 17 | David & Goliath

Man-centered interpretation & application: David is a faithful warrior that I need to emulate. Goliath is any enemy or trial in my life that is difficult. I need to be more like David. I need to face the trials & battles in my life by mustering up enough courage to fight. Rise above the mentality of the weak Israelites.

God-centered interpretation & application: David represents Christ. Goliath is not trials or battles in my life but is the enemy, our adversary, Satan. I am helpless against sin like the Israelites were against Goliath. I have no chance against Goliath; I will never have enough courage or ability. I need Christ to fight for on my behalf; He is the only Salvation.

Do you see the difference? One mind-set immediately begins applying the passage to what "I need to do." This can never be understood correctly until we understand our depravity & the extent of the Gospel. This is just a small preview of what I mean by two ways of reading & interpreting scripture. I strongly encourage you to listen to Prince's sermon as it sheds light on this. I pray that we would begin to see our errors in our reading Scripture. I'll end with this quote by Prince:

"You do realize that you can come to the Bible & just keep saying things that are true & lead someone to Hell. You do realize that don't you! Let's say someone says: 'don't commit adultery... God doesn't want you to commit adultery... it's bad. Don't steal... God doesn't want you to steal... it's bad. Give, give alot, it's good.' And we could go on & on & on. And by the way everything I said is true but everything I said was meant by God to be understood in the context of Jesus & His gospel. And if it's all you say as if Jesus & the gospel doesn't exist, it's damning... it's going to lead you in the opposite direction of where it is supposed to lead you... only when I understand how this story testifies about Jesus... only when I understand that can I make the application to my own life."

Until next week!

Bliss Series at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville

The past 7 weeks we have had the privilege to sit under the current teaching series at CCK, "Bliss." I can sometimes be skeptical about topical sermon series due to things I have heard in the past (at various locations) such as, "How to Have a Winning Team" or "9 Steps to Deal with Depression," as if the content of these messages even hinted at the gospel. I generally walked away saddened at how cheap the Gospel must sound to the hearers. It sounded more pop-psychological rather than gospel truth.

Yet, I knew the pastors at CCK would not disappoint when it came to content... they've yet to do so. I have been utterly humbled following each message as they pointed me back towards my source of 'bliss,' the presence of God. We have been reminded, "There is no lasting joy in this life but for the grace of God," Bill Kittrell said. And I believe it; God's word & my experience have confirmed it over & over again. This past week we studied out of Ecclesiastes concerning the life of Solomon. Solomon exposes all of his vain attempts to find pleasure only to realize that what he thought would bring him joy only led to despair. "God will curse all those things that you believe will bring you joy." And thank God for His continual care & His leading us back to the source of bliss, namely, Himself.

Check out the sermon titles from the series:

• Bliss: Treasure in a Field
• Bliss: Fight for Bliss
• Bliss: In Trials
• Bliss: Friendships
  
• Bliss: When You Coming' Home Son (Parenting)
  
• Bliss: Joy on the Job
  
• Bliss: Nothing New Under the Sun
  

If you would like to check out the audio & pdf downloads from the Bliss series, click here. Click on the Media/Links tab & look under sermons. I believe it will be a means of grace in your life.