Written by Harry L. Reeder III |
Saturday, July 23, 2022
We have been saved by the “word of life” that brought us to Christ; therefore, Christians need to speak words of life even in the most challenging situations. Jesus said, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ” (Matt. 5:37). Speak truth truthfully and lovingly even when addressing difficult subjects. Do not choose words that destroy, pollute, or poison others. The more difficult the issue, the more careful the choice of words.

My father and grandfather loved aphorisms—short, memorable statements of wisdom. I not only inherited their love for them but became personally fascinated by the development and use of aphorisms. My fascination grew in response to my pastoral call. How can I say something with an economy of words that is memorable and precise and that communicates biblical wisdom? It is challenging and rewarding in conversation and preaching.
In Colossians 4:6, the Apostle Paul writes, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Much of this text is captured in this aphorism: “Say what you mean, mean what you say, and never be mean when you say it.”
 Right Words
Proverbs 25:11 tells us, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up.”
Communication is possible because we are made in the image of God, but it is never neutral. Perhaps you have heard this misleading aphorism: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The reality is that it doesn’t take long for the wounds from sticks and stones to heal, but hurtful words hurt deeply and linger interminably.

We have been saved by the “word of life” that brought us to Christ; therefore, Christians need to speak words of life even in the most challenging situations. Jesus said, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ” (Matt. 5:37). Speak truth truthfully and lovingly even when addressing difficult subjects. Do not choose words that destroy, pollute, or poison others. The more difficult the issue, the more careful the choice of words.
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Paul, as Jewish man, would have been raised to pray daily thanking God he wasn’t a slave, a Gentile, or a woman. In Acts 16, we find these are the first three categories of people who respond to Paul’s message. Wow! Not only are these people recipients of God’s grace, they also serve as conduits for God’s grace.

One of the current joys of my life is serving alongside a dear friend, Rob Rosenbalm, in the teaching ministry of Fairfield West Baptist Church in Fairfield, Ohio. I help with the planning for the sermon series and speak there about once a month. It really is a highlight for me each month.
Rob is one of the most community-minded pastors I’ve ever worked with, serving as a chaplain to local fire departments. I’ve spoken with fire chiefs who have told me, to my face, that Rob has been used to radically change their lives. He’s the kind of pastor who spends more time with people, serving them, befriending them, and quietly filling a needed role in the community, than he does buried away in an office barricaded from parishioners. I could have made this whole series just about his life, which really is worthy of imitation.
But my purpose here is what I discovered in the passage I was recently assigned to teach.
A Diverse Line Up
Acts 16 gives a bit of an introduction to Paul’s ministry in Europe. It describes the occasion where Paul is locked up in prison and ends up singing the doors off the place. You can read about it here. In reading over the passage, I was kind of taken back by the diversity of the individuals God uses starting with Paul, for example, who used to murder Christians as a devout Jewish leader. If God can use a murderer, well, maybe we’re not too far out there to make a difference too. Amiright?
One Bible commentator noted that Paul, as Jewish man, would have been raised to pray daily thanking God he wasn’t a slave, a Gentile, or a woman. In Acts 16, we find these are the first three categories of people who respond to Paul’s message. Wow! Not only are these people recipients of God’s grace, they also serve as conduits for God’s grace.
For example, the chapter begins with a young man named Timothy who came from a mixed faith family with a mother who was a Jewish believer and a Greek father. We will later learn that Timothy often feels too young to be used (1 Timothy 4:12), can be sickly (1 Timothy 5:23), and is prone to be fearful (2 Timothy 1:7). Nonetheless, Timothy was used in amazing ways.
We also meet Lydia, a business owner from Thyatira – a place known for the production and export of fine clothing, particularly using a purple dye. Lydia is introduced as a seller of purple clothing (Acts 16:14). That could likely mean she managed the selection of clothing, the process of dying, and also the end process of customer service and sales to the wealthy, now living in Philippi where she meets Paul.
In short, Lydia was a fashionista. And she was a believer. She used the resources provided by her business to bless others (Acts 16:15, 40). Although Paul never visited her hometown, a church was eventually planted there (Revelation 2:18-19).
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Even more, in an age like ours, God’s people should be a notable exception or, as historian Tom Holland put it, “weird” in the sense that we are committed to the truth even if everyone else abandons it.

President Biden’s announcement to not seek re-election punctuated one of the most eventful and historic months in American politics in recent memory. The decision came after various political leaders and celebrities publicly and privately expressed their concerns about his age and ability, though Biden’s decline has long been apparent. In the end, even the best attempts of the First Lady could not overcome what everyone saw during Biden’s first (and last) presidential debate.
Still, politicians, celebrity donors, and the Biden family insisted that the President was fine, long after it was obvious that he was not, right up until his decision to withdraw. It’s now unreasonable to think that most of these voices did not know better. Clearly, they believed they could continue to misrepresent reality, even if their claims contradicted the obvious.
In an age in which digital technology can manipulate information in unprecedented ways, this kind of public gaslighting has never been easier. Take, for example, the decision by Veteran Affairs to ban the famous Times Square “V-J Day kiss” photo. After asking that the photo be removed from all facilities, lest the celebratory kiss “foster trauma,” the VA swiftly denied ever sending the memo due to the public backlash.
Or consider how the NFL handled Alicia Keys’ Superbowl Halftime performance earlier this year. When Keys hit a wildly off-key note, fans commented on social media and posted it there immediately. However, when the official video of the performance was posted to YouTube the next day, there was no trace of the wrong note.
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