Speak up or Shut up

Every once in a while I enjoy watching the show Bizarre Foods.  The host goes to various countries and cultures and samples the differing types of foods people enjoy and some indeed are bizarre !  But one thing I especially enjoy is seeing how people live all over our planet.   One particular episode got me thinking recently though. The host is always very gracious and careful not to offend in any way (even if it means sampling something even he is wary of) and he was visiting an African country and a custom was highlighted that even he was squirming about and you could tell he was in disagreement yet tried as hard as possible to convey that that is their tradition and so one must respect it.  That’s what people these days are taught and it comes from the postmodern idea that truth is relative and there really are no absolutes (so they claim, yet the statement itself is an absolute !!).

It used to be that missionaries would go to a foreign land and not only speak the gospel to the natives but would also teach them basic right from wrong.  They didn’t worry about “offending” if what the natives believed was error for error kills in the end !   They would “Christianize” the peoples while not seeking to change but rather appreciating those things in their culture that were not in conflict with the Word of God.  But here is exactly “the rub”.  We have allowed the postmodern thinkers to influence us to shut up when in fact we should speak up.  We are so worried about offending and  appreciating the difference even if those differences counter truth !  They say truth is what you want it to be so who are you to tell someone who wants to eat another human being they are wrong, its their culture!

Jesus COMMANDED us to go and make disciples (Matt.28:19-20) and this begins with sharing the good news of the gospel, how  that He died and rose again and everyone must admit they are a sinner and ask His forgiveness and to be their Savior or hell will be their destiny.  Then we must not be quiet to speak truth about everyday things.  As we go to work, let your life  bespeak truth in your dealings. Don’t be afraid to counter the culture and speak and live out good ethics.   All in all it’s put up or shut up.  Satan prefers you do the latter because he knows truth is powerful ! But God desires to use you today to speak the truth in love (Eph.4:15). Will you speak up when he gives you opportunity ? If you do you make your slice of this old planet a better place.    We have the TRUTH in the Bible, speak up for it !!