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The Word of Truth Ministries | |
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________________ The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ
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The tongue is a little member of the body, but it can sire up nations and unleash a world of confusion. It must be brought under subjection. James said with the tongue bless we God and curse we men. [James 3:9] It
is with the tongue we praise our God and hollow His Holy name; it
is with the tongue we preach His word and set men free from the
world, the flesh, the devil, and from diseases, pain, and death;
it is with the tongue we command things into being that are not,
even as though they were. But more often than not, we use it for
other purposes—vilifying men, tattling, being busy-bodies in other
men’s affairs, saying things we should not say, and dispensing our
power in God away. The tongue must be brought under subjection if
saints are to grow into the perfection of Christ that we are commanded
to grow into. And that we can do by the power of God. The Apostle James gives more attention to the
tongue’s disruptive nature than other apostles. He compares the
tongue to the rudder of a ship that is small but it can control
and direct a large ship. He says, what a little thing but what a
big fire it brings. [James 3] Indeed, he argues that in many things we offend all, but one who does not offend in tongue/word, such is the perfect man. That is what we are discussing, how to reach that level of perfection that we are all striving for or should be striving for. Now, this offense with the tongue should be distinguished from an offense that is taken because the truth is told. [Gal. 4:16] When the truth of God is told and one takes offense
because he/she does not like the truth, that cannot be an offense
to our charge; all saints are given to and obligated to telling
the truth. The manner in which the truth is told usually becomes
the offense for one who does not want to hear the truth. But instead
of really being an offense, that one who does not want the truth
is not really offended in a true sense, his/her protest is really
little more than obfuscation. He simply does not want the truth
and he is attempting to point out an error in the truth teller’s
manner as some type of firewall for himself. That action is at psychological
ploy employed because he does not want to hear the truth that the
truth-teller offers. That is the essence of obfuscation. The tongue must be mastered because not only
is the tongue a world of iniquity, but it is full of power, if we
know how to use it in the godly way intended. To the world, a controlled
tongue suggests to all that the person is able to control his entire
body—emotions, temperament, etc., and indeed, we must to be perfect.
And we should demonstrate a quiet and meek spirit. That is not done
through an over use of the tongue. The tongue in the mouth of a fool blares out
his foolishness, but saints are not given to the life of a fool.
Indeed, Christ is made unto us wisdom and sanctification. The fool
does not sanctify Christ but shames Christ and should be a shame
unto himself, but he is a fool, and such a one is scarcely given
to shame. We are the righteousness of Christ, therefore, we have
mouths that speak wisdom and truth. [Psa. 37:30] Some years ago, I was the administrator for two treatment centers for delinquent and abused and neglected boys. I would take them out to restaurants for breakfast and other meals as a way of socializing them into the world. One day after the meal, we were paying the cashier, and one of our boys decided that he would take all the toothpicks freely given at the cashier’s counter. I instructed him to put them back; after all, he didn’t have that many teeth that needed picking. He could not understand why I instructed him to place them back; they were free, he reasoned. And that was all he reasoned and therefore all he saw in his behavior. He was a child who had never been introduced
into society properly; he was a deprived child and knew nothing
of correct social protocols.
I explained those protocols to him and what his behavior
demonstrated to anyone keenly aware of how to read human behavior.
Certainly his behavior cried out for all to see and hear: “I
have been deprived most of my life, and I have no sense of proportion
or the mores that govern a society; I am socially wild.” He
could have never imagined what his behavior demonstrated; all he
saw was free, individually wrapped toothpicks that he could have
then and later. Likewise, so does a tongue embarrass and cry out
in the mouth of a fool; he too is unaware of the nature of his behavior. The tongue can and will embarrass and bring us
to shame if it is out of control. It will take us outside of Christ.
We must not, therefore, be given to a froward mouth or perverse
lips. Indeed, Solomon says to put them away. [Prov. 4:24]
And his father David said that he held his tongue while the
wicked were before him. He had learned the way of silence, which
is required of saints. [Psa. 39:1-2] Yet, it is the tongue that
hinders many in their quest for perfection. They, seemingly, cannot
control their mouths, hence, they cannot guard their hearts because
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and their hearts
are full of foolishness. [Mat. 12:34] Solomon wrote that the foolish woman is clamorous.
That is because she is a fool and her heart is full of foolishness.
But there are many men who also foolish women and cannot get enough
of talking. [Prov. 9:13] The problem with the talker is that he/she
can never learn while he is talking—to talk is to give; to learn
is to receive that he/she may have to give. One cannot learn anything
from himself, other than about himself. But learning must always
go beyond yourself to be of any real import to others. It is true
that one must and should know himself, but self knowledge is limited
in helping others. It can only be of benefit to yourself. We are
admonished to keep our mouths and be ready to hear and not to talk.
[Eccl. 5: 1-2] The fool is more eager to speak than to hear, and in so doing,
he is offering the sacrifice of fools—vain words! A saint of God who is going to go on to perfection
must go beyond himself in knowledge, and he must keep his mouth
and not be hasty to speak. Indeed, God is in heaven and we are on
this earth and should let our words be few, for a fool is known
by his traffic in vain words. [Eccl. 5:2-3] The Prophet Hosea said that God will reject those
who reject knowledge and not learn beyond themselves. [Hos. 4:6]
Yet many assume that they have not rejected God’s word or knowledge,
but that same many have not affirmatively considered God’s word
or knowledge; they have not searched out the book of God and read
it or anything else of merit. And those who know to do the right
things and do not do them, they have affirmatively rejected doing
them. [James 4:17] The Apostle Paul wrote Titus and said there are
many vain and unruly talkers whose mouths must be stopped. They
are deceivers. [Tit. 1:10] As saints of God, we must learn, indeed,
study to be quiet and attend to our own business and work. This
action will calm the tongue a great deal. [1 Thes. 4:11] It is uncomely
for saints to engage in must talk, for our words should be measured
and proportional to the situation at hand. We are admonished to
make our manner and speech always be with grace and seasoned with
salt that we will present wisdom to those who are without, redeeming
the time, and answering every man honestly. [Col. 4:5-7] When a
saint speaks, he should and must speak words that are sound doctrine,
not foolishness. [Tit. 2:1] There are many who call themselves saints that
talk all day and up into the night on telephones about things that
have no merit, no godliness, that are only the chatter of fools.
They shame Christ and have no power of God in their lives. Many
claim they are ministering to the needs of other Christians. They
are only deceiving themselves. No one can minister as they minister
and have any power of God. At some point they must be quiet and
get a word from God. Jesus, many times, after he had ministered
to the people went about for that quiet time of seeking the face
of God. He is our example. Samuel Johnson, the English scholar and lexicographer
one day stop writing weekly articles in his magazine. He told his
audience that he had given them all he had. Therefore, he had to
go and study more to have something to give them. Intelligent people
know when to stop talking. A fool’s tongue cannot stop. And all
the while it is going, it says nothing. I am a college professor, and I must lecture/talk
for hours on specific subjects. Sadly, many of my students actually
think that I am garrulous because of the necessity that is laid
upon me by my profession, yet that is not who I am at all. My wife,
siblings, and close friends know that I am not a talker—preaching
and teaching the word of truth is not talking to me. For I can teach
and preach the word of God for hours as the spirit of God is upon
me and has given me this gift. But, aside from the necessity of
my profession/occupation and the calling of this godly matter, I
have to seek the face of God and read; I have to hear a word from
God. I have to be quiet that I may learn. For as long as I am talking,
I am giving out. Only when I am quiet, am I receiving from God,
whether through extensive study or through communion with God in
prayer. This is so with all saints. We must seek the
face of God to get the things of God. I guess theological seminary
is okay; you learn a great deal of history and analysis theory from
such an endeavor, but I know, having gone to regular academic (non-theological)
school for some 20-years now, to get from God, school aside, one
must first live the word of God line upon line, precept upon precept
and not veer from it, one must study the word of God, and call unto
God mightily to get a word directly from Him in order to control
the tongue and teach God’s people food acceptable
for saints. The person not capable of controlling his tongue
is a person unable to get anything from God, and he will not be
able to control his body. And such cannot be perfect, according
to God’s word. And if one is not perfect according to God’s word,
that perfect is not perfect. When the spirit of God came into believers on
the day of Pentecost, and into believers even today, with the initial
evidence of speaking in tongues, one of the reasons God’s Spirit
spoke/speaks out through a person in tongues when he is filled with
the Holy Spirit—whether angelic or earth languages that person does
not know of himself--is to show him and others that even that most
unruly member of the body has been brought under control by God.
[Acts 2:4] Now that the Spirit is daily ours, we must learn
how to control that spirit as it controls and guides our bodies
and our spirits. God has done a marvelous thing in that he has given
heavenly gifts unto earthly, albeit twice born, men to use and govern.
For the spirit of the prophet, which is the Spirit of God, is subject
to the prophet. [1 Cor. 14:32] And as John the Baptist grew up with
the Holy Ghost already in him, he had to learn how to govern that
power that was within him from birth. Likewise, Jesus--the very
word of God itself and the actual Spirit of God—grew up with the
very GOD of Gods within him even as a child. He had to learn obedience
and how to allow that God within him to govern his body. Look at the conflict he struggled with just before
Calvary. He had to bring that body under subjection and make it
suffer the pains of a horrible, lonely, bloody, God forsaken death
on Calvary. Oh sweet Calvary! There, Jesus died for me! [Mark
14:36] He subdued this body unto the spirit, even as our example,
and went to Calvary that we may this day struggle with our tongues
and all other members of our bodies and bring them unto subjection
and the control of the Spirit of the Living God within us. He did
it and now we must walk even as He walk, knowing that we have not
suffered unto blood, as he and some of His apostles did, struggling
against sin. [Heb. 12:4] Therefore, as Christ has suffered, be you also
and stand fast in the faith, quit you like men and control
your tongue that you can be that perfect man that Jesus commanded
you to be and James said you can be! [Mat. 5:48; 1 Cor. 16:13; James
4] [ We will write more on the words of saints.]
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2004
The Truth of God