God's Word to the Wise

A Word to the Wise

Earlier I wrote encouraging you to, “Speak the truth in love,” emphasising love. Now I wish to put the emphasis on speaking the truth. I have generously borrowed Ezekiel’s Call in Ezekiel 2:1-7 (Transforming it into the revised substandard version) to exhort us to speak the truth.

And God said, “stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And God said, “I send you to the Church, to a bunch of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their pastors have transgressed against me to this very day. They are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord. And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

An old pastor told me, “You are to preach the Word of God in season, and out of season.” “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2) Sadly, he expressed to me that he feared my time would be out of season.

I confess that I have had times when I was weary of preaching out of season. At such times I remember the apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy and Pastor Eyers’ to me.

Let us all not grow weary of speaking the truth, remembering that it is God’s Word that does not return void.