War of the Words

As many of you already know, I am not the kinda guy who has any value about the ever-changing ‘hype’ in our ridiculous and irreverent society. I also strive to resist the temptation to use popular communication tactics, even as a person who truly understands my role as an influencer in our world today. My studies take me across millennia and hundreds of cultures to learn how to communicate better and with more impact. Few things move me like revelation being expressed in profound or memorable ways. One of the passionately grounded attractions I have for God is rooted in the fact that He is the inarguable supreme communicator for all of eternity. God always says everything the best way, and anyone who desires to experience success in this area would be foolish not to learn from the best. Our Father just has a way with words.

God is not only the best, He is the creator and innovator of communication. Humanity only exists because we were gifted this divine ability, and will either rise or fall in congruence with this skill. Our damnation in singular or universal instances can be traced back to communication. Go look at the Babel incident again (Genesis 11) and you will see the communication connection was the downfall of mankind there again. But God knows how to use His Words better.

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 BSB

For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

The New Living Translation puts that last verse in an interesting way:

“Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.”

It was God’s plan and choice that the most powerful saving force released upon the earth would be preaching. We also see here that this was pleasing to God for this to be the methodology of salvation. There is something about the inextricable link between the soul of a person and the communication they are subjected to that will determine the outcomes of life. Our beliefs are a derivative of what has been ‘preached’ to us over the totality of our lives.

“He has used our foolish preaching”… Paul was not mocking his profession or calling here. What he was illustrating was how the wisdom of God chose to use something so seemingly insignificant as ‘preaching’ to be the very thing to save all mankind. Jesus could have shown up as a three-hundred-foot-tall God in a spaceship shooting lasers from His fingertips while commanding humanity to bow in obeisance and grovel for mercy. But rather, He came as a helpless babe, to an impoverished teenage girl, and grew up as an insignificant carpenter for thirty years before beginning the redemption of the whole world through the foolishness of preaching.

This word for ‘preached’ here comes from “kerusso” in Greek, which has the simple definition of, “a proclamation.” Other nuances are connected though that need to be considered. In extra-Biblical writings, this term was associated with, ‘that which is promulgated by a herald or public crier.’ In the origins of this term, a ‘preacher’ would have been someone who was ordained by the local population to be the trusted source and voice to communicate the ‘news’ of the day to the community. Their livelihood would be dependent on their accuracy properly balanced with the effectiveness of the presentation. Words mattered, language mattered, inflection mattered, truth mattered, details mattered, sincerity mattered, authority mattered.

Matthew 7:28-29 BSB

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Part of what gave Jesus the ability to have such value, even two thousand years later, was that His character and His words were inseparable… and both were impeccable. They could not trap Jesus in a character flaw or flesh-flash. They also could not bring an effective argument or debate against His speech, nor can anyone to this day, though millions have tried (and are trying). Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father,” (John 14:9). He also said, “For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:19) Let us add these grandiose declarations to the opening words of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:1, 14a)

Jesus was the herald of Heaven and His news was Good, it was perfectly proclaimed, and His character bore that perfection in accurate verification. Why am I making this point today? Because our world is filled with false preachers who inappropriately have more influence on our society and culture than they should. This is sad by itself, but even more regretful is that the Church has this problem as well. Consider these thoughts, please.

Which has more value to you:

• The scriptures or the headlines
• The news or the Gospel (Good News)
• The prognosis of your doctor or your Great Physician
• The weather forecast or prophetic forecast
• The Proverbs or the best practices of today’s philosophers
• The words of The Sermon on the Mount or the laws that come from The Hill (DC)
• How God says to manage your finances or what the economists say
• The teachings of the professors and educators or the doctrines of your pastor (considering they are a good one…)
• The design of the Creator for marriage, gender, and sexuality or the progressive redesign by more modernized creators
• The divine courtroom of Heaven or the SCOTUS
• The justice of Judge Jesus or the entertainment of Judge Judy
• The truth of the Epistles or the new truth of the fact-checkers and the purchased scientists
• The identity given to you by your Father or the screaming voices in this fallen world

I could do this for days.

The hype of today is pulling us away from the communication of heaven and the fruitfulness of our lives is suffering from it. They know what they are doing is ‘preaching’ their ‘sermon’ and the unsuspecting listeners are being conformed to their message. Like a child building a snowman into what they imagine them to look like, so the heralds of this world are proclaiming their image for us and our culture.

The war of words in our world today is raging with an intensity that nuclear physicists do not comprehend. This assault targets your mind and heart in nonstop rapid-fire, akin to modern weapons. Many tyrannical, political oligarchs seethe at the opportunity to ban ‘assault rifles’ while their tongues kill more than lead and gunpowder ever could. With sniper precision, they target the innocent children with propaganda and confusion. Simultaneously, they throw grenades of chaos into the nuclear family model and the pulpits of the weak churches. Bodies and Godly doctrines fly out the newly crumbled walls. The shrapnel shreds the surrounding bystanders who just want to be left alone to do their own thing. The blast radius has no mercy for the young or old alike, and with equality brings devastation to the soldiers and civilians alike.

We are all in this warzone, whether willingly or not. Words are flying around, communication is shooting across the horizon, messages are being proclaimed, and sermons are being preached. Many Christians today are like the shaking teenage soldier barricaded in a foxhole with urine-stained camo pants hoping to survive the night. That posture will guarantee failure. It is incumbent that we recognize the only way to be a peacemaker in this era is to use our double-edged sword offensively against the lies, deception, and manipulation of our enemy.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Revelation 2:12, 16, 19:15a ESV

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him (Jesus) who has the sharp two-edged sword… Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.’ … From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

The two edges are the opposite intended usage of His inspired Word. One side is to cut offensively against any foe who dares to oppose King Jesus and His Kingdom building mission, while the other side can cut away the leeches trying to weaken the sons and daughters that He loves. One side defends His people and the other attacks His enemy. One side is the scalpel blade that cuts away the cancerous tumor and the other side cuts away the mangled hands attempting to strangle His Bride. One side pierces our conscience bringing fervent conviction and the other side condemns the condemnation of the accuser of the brethren.

The Word of God is a sword that pierces the righteous and the unrighteous with different intentions.

The Word of God is a fire that burns away the chaff and refines the gold.

The Word of God is a hammer that destroys the strongholds and builds the palace.

We are the ones whom God has called to change our world through the ‘foolishness of preaching’.

Preach! (Whoop, whoop!)

I am shouting ‘AMEN’… can you hear me?

I love the sermon you preach!
Steve