DISCIPLE, SPEAK WELL
Sermon by Pastor Seth Asare Ofei
(Declaring the Rest of the Year a Disciple Tongue Cleaning Season)
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21
We joined the ministry here on a word of prophecy that God gave to us, that He will do great things among us. He conditioned it on our doing what is expected of us as people that He has bought with His blood to do His will while we live: To Draw Near; Speak Well, Give or Share, Be prompt in Obedience and Be Accountable in All Things. His Promise is like Him, great and very appealing, and our requirement is not too burdensome.
In the early part of our attempt to work and walk together, we have tried to draw near, and many activities are underway to make us actually people who live with Him “dwelling in the secret place of the Most High”
i. Sitting at His feet to study His Word in groups on Sundays and Wednesdays
ii. Gathering on Fridays to exhort one another to prayer;
ii. And Now the Up-coming Midweek Services, Sunday Evening Cells, Lord’s Supper Week Retreats and Monthly Open Air Gospel Nights
In increasing the rate at which we draw near Him, we can testify that we are already reaping some blessings by getting a greater sense of His care for us, as we feel what used to be our burdens being lifted!
We are now being called to enter therefore into what we may call a second phase of our walk with God in this promise, to Speak Well (that is not saying, we will therefore not yet give, obey and account, but rather that we are taking a closer look at this part of His covenant with us now). Thankfully, it is a requirement of disciples to speak the Word as well, so this sits well with our 2012 theme.
The Word of God does not treat speech lightly at all, and it is our prayer that by the time we are through this Retreat, we understand why and we will be as careful with our tongues as the Lord is and desires of us. Let us ponder about these fantastic verses about the importance of speech and the tongue in the way and will of God:
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21
“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.” Matthew 12:36
“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” 1Peter 4:11
“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” James 3:2
In Genesis 1:2, John 1:1-4, directly and in several other places indirectly, we see that speech is the means by which what has been accomplished in the Spirit is born into this life; and that we hardly see God doing anything in this life without first declaring it.
Although it is said that action speaks louder than words, it is clear from the Scripture that speech is the most important action of all. No activity binds a person or sets him free better than speaking. In Luke 23: 39-43, you may observe the activities of the two thieves that were hanged with Jesus; and ponder these verses:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” Romans 10:9, 10
Daily life is so driven by what we say in normal conversation that the old English term for lifestyle or behaviour is conversation. As disciples of Jesus therefore, people know us (our fruit) most by what we say to and about everyday events and situations. Our tongues weave the clothes that we eventually wear in activities that identify us.
Our focus in this therefore is to get wisdom and strength to apply our tongues for life, healing and productivity, rather than for destruction, slander and death. We shall move through the Word, looking for how to do the following effectively:
1. Speaking to God – Prayer and Worship:
What words should we use, and how are we to address our Father in Heaven, that we might always feel close to Him and have assurances for what we pray for, and not feel that we have shouted in vain. How should we talk to Him and feel that He has accepted our adoration?
2. Speaking in the Church and Among Believers – Note that Jesus made it a point to speak differently to His disciples. What was the difference and how are we to apply this? See Luke 8:10. Also, taking note that now there are different categories of persons in the congregation at any time – enquirers (those who have not believed, but are curious or just passing through by invitation); beginners (those who just believed and are eagerly longing for the milk of the Word, to grow thereby); growers (those who have been around for some time, but are convenience worshippers to some extent); adults (those who may be older than us, but not necessarily in the spiritual sense); and the matured (those established in the Lord and will not be easily shaken) – how ought we to speak in order to minister grace to all?
3. Speaking in the House and Among Unbelievers - This is most crucial, our witnessing speech, that is more important than what we say on the pulpit or platform; we are evangelists with our every word, spoken to any creature (Mark 16:15) , to our beloved child and to the remotest stranger alike, it should be the gospel truth. How do we train ourselves in self-control and familiarity with the Word, to make this natural rather than forced.
4. Speaking into Your Life – The Power to Say, “God Will Do It” Releasing God’s miraculous power for your life (and through you into the lives of others) in time. How can you say with Abraham, Moses, Nehemiah, Shadrach and others, these words which proved to be prophetic, naturally:
- “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” Genesis 22:8
- "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13, 14
- "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it." Nehemiah 2:20
- “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.” Daniel 3:17
What gave them this confidence? Was it for the fact that they had a very cordial relationship with God, and were always committed to obeying Him and doing His will?
We pray for soft and willing hearts to God to mould us for stronger. We pray that His will in this message will completely transform us further into conquerors, Amen.
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