The Golden Rule of Communication
1 Peter 3:14,15 Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (ESV)
Yesterday we chatted about the absence of civility in public discourse and the powerful role that you and I can play in bringing that back through gracious understanding and loving speech.
But in a climate that seeks to shut down the Christian voice, to marginalise the God of the Bible and what He has to say because it’s all too downright inconvenient to contemplate, the easiest thing for a Christ-follower to do is to compromise on the truth …
To go with the flow, to water down the difficult bits in the hope of winning souls. In fact, some of the largest churches on the planet have done precisely that. Yep, as we cower before the worldly onslaught against the Gospel of Christ, weasel-wording and watering down the truth is a serious temptation.
But writing to some seriously persecuted Christians in the 1st Century AD, the Apostle Peter said this:
1 Peter 3:14,15 Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (ESV)
And right there, you have the golden rule of communication.
Don’t be afraid of people who oppose you. Don’t be troubled. Instead, honour Jesus as Lord, as your First-above-all, and from that position of strength, with your feet firmly planted on the truth, tell people exactly why you have this incredible hope in Him … but do it with gentleness and respect.
There’s no need to be afraid. There’s no need to water down the Gospel. There’s no need to shout.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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