By Pastor Doug Cox

I just finished spending about an hour reading through a manual of instructions trying to figure out why some of our chandeliers are turning off in the middle of the Sunday morning service. (It couldn’t be my sermons could it?) Anyway, after reading through some difficult technical language I’m thinking I found the problem. We’ll find out on Sunday morning.

It is interesting how everything runs on language. Computers feed on 1’s and 0’s. Apple trees develop from what is written in an apple seed. Babies bring forth the deposits of mother and father at conception. And the gospel of Christ produces His image once planted in the heart of a repentant sinner.

In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul declared that he is “…not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” In Romans 10:9-10, he says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And don’t forget what the apostle Peter says, that we are “…born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible seed, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

Can you see it? God’s language is seed and it is truth. Truth in any dialect means the same thing. God’s truth that Jesus died for our sins and rose again (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-5) is the language that brings new birth into a sinner’s life. Then after that sinner is born again God’s language of truth will continue to cause spiritual growth and change in the life of the humble recipient. Jesus said “man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Dear readers, I have said all this to say we are living in a time where we must pay very close attention to language. If what you are hearing is not truth it must be rejected. The apostle John said “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” (1 John 2:21)

Truth is a must in today’s world. I find it almost mind numbing to keep up with how language and ideas are being changed. It happens in religious circles as well as culture. Just because a religion says hell isn’t real or that Jesus is Lucifer’s brother doesn’t make it true. Just because society insists there are 72 genders and that men can identify as women doesn’t make it true. Just because the government thinks it knows how to parent your children better than you doesn’t make it so. And just because a drag queen seems nice is no reason to let them fill a pulpit or teach our children.

Beloved let us love those with different opinions, but not be swayed by them. Holy scripture warns us that the closer we get to the return of the Lord the greater the deception will be. Knowing this truth the apostle Paul has challenged every generation saying “if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Prayer – Lord help us allow the language of truth to shape our life and soul and keep us lit for Christ. We don’t want to be like a light that goes out in the church when it is needed.