1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The great singing duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have produced many hits during their musical partnership. One of their songs made the charts, and has been recorded by other contemporary artists since. The song is "The Sound of Silence."
One of the stanzas of the song follows:
And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
When we see this world gone crazy and do things that make your jaw drop, and no one says anything, that is the sound of silence. Unfortunately, the contemporary 21st Century Church has become a haven for this type of silence.
When the Church is silent, the Church loses its place as a pillar of godly morals and values in the community. Churches remains silent, or is silenced when it comes to speaking out against sin and calling evil what it is, because we - the Church - have become vessels of conformity.
The more the Church capitulates and conforms to societal rules and mandates; the more they cower in fear from governmental overreach, the more they lose a voice of reason in a community. The silence is deafening, and the power of the gospel is all but lost.
When we let the Gospel be restrained in bringing the full measure of God's power to save us, we fall victim to it and not victors. Then God's grace and mercy through the message of the cross is indeed foolish to those who perish, and to those who turn away.
Like the song lyrics say, "Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening... and no one dared to disturb... the sound of silence
If we keep our mouths shut, or talk about the gospel with a candy-coated world view, and never speak the truth of the full, life-saving gospel of Christ to the lost and dying souls of this world and our generation, we become people who only talk and do not speak. And people will die in their sins, eternally separated from the Father.
Jesus willingly went to the cross to suffer and bear our sins. He forgive us all our sins and paid for the eternal consequences of hellfire and damnation, we could not pay ourselves. He did that so we can be the voice crying in the wilderness with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The longer we remain silent, (out of fear or capitulation), or talk without speaking, (that is watering down the gospel, or another gospel), the longer this world will continue to spin in the muck and mire of evil.
It's high time the Church - that is the people of God - to stand up for the Gospel, and speak up and speak out against the evil that is prevailing in this wicked generation.
Romans 1:16 "For I am 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."
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tom Neal
Still Waters Home Fellowship
www.swministries.org
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