YBible Thoughts Y

November 15, 1998

The apostle Peter had accompanied the Lord in his journeys throughout the land of Palestine. In the course of his association with the Son of God, he had learned to speak the righteous language that Jesus spoke. He had been immersed in the teaching of the one who was about to die for him. It would have been impossible for Peter, who had sworn that he would never forsake him, to hide the speech he had acquired through the closeness he had with Jesus. Hence, "thy speech maketh thee known."

There is a language of righteous people. A speech that reflects the principles of righteousness. A speech that demonstrates knowledge of the Bible. A speech of kindness and goodness that leads others to Christ. A speech that is free from the entanglements of the world. A speech that is readily recognized by the world as different from the language spoken by those who do not follow the Bible.

There is a righteous speech of those who seek to please God. It is free from the cursings and swearings of the world. It is molded after the pattern of godliness that is set forth in the New Testament. When Christians are around others, their conversation will reflect a tongue that is free of worldliness; a speech that focuses on righteousness; a message that points toward truth simply because of the avoidance of evil. Friends will notice that lies, dirty jokes, unkind observances, false accusations, etc. are no part of the speech of one who follows Jesus Christ.

Even in the area of religion, "thy speech maketh thee known." It does not take long in a conversation to identify speech that reflects religious teachings(errors) that are not in the Bible. The language of denominationalism is not the speech of Christians. The words of sectarian preachers do not follow the words found in the scriptures. They speak a language different from the language found in the New Testament.

There was a phrase of years past that included "speak where the Bible speaks; be silent where it is silent." This saying, found often in materials of brethren and referred to in many sermons, was based on this passage: "If any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God..."(I Peter 4:11). There is a language for righteous people; there is a language for God's church. It is found in the testament of Jesus Christ. One lets himself be known, whether he follows the scriptures or otherwise, by one's writings and speech.

One of the first signs of drifting away from Bible patterns and principles is to change one's speech. As new words(signs of ideas) are introduced, listeners are conditioned to the acceptance of false teaching. When one speaks only as the oracles of God. that speech helps to keep the disciple on the proper path. As words that have no Bible basis are spoken, it becomes easier to persuade people to believe and practice teachings that are not found in the word of God. It may be "here a little; there a little," but the forces of error make the inroads into the hearts of the unsuspecting and through a language not based on Bible teachings, they lead people into apostasy.

The other side of this is that such unscriptural terminology identifies one as teaching false doctrine. It is certainly fitting to identify those who would lead God's people into error. "Thy speech maketh thee known" when one uses the language of denominationalism. Such a one may also be identified by the misuse of Bible terms. To apply the language of the New Testament to religious or moral institutions that do not meet the standards of Christ's law indicates a total disrespect for the scriptures. "Thy speech maketh thee known" can be used to identify those who trouble God's people today and would lead the church Jesus died for into denominationalism.

The Christian Chronicle is a publication that highlights the activities of churches who are supporters of the institutional movements that started after World War II. The paper can be used to document, through the language it contains, how "thy speech maketh thee known." In the drift toward denominationalism, the language spoken by liberal minded churches of Christ, identifies activities that are not authorized by the New Testament.

A congregation, founded in Houston in 1987, offers "community service programs...tutoring for high school students, a pre-school for children of abusive families, and a clothing distribution center"(Christian Chronicle, page 1, November, 1998). This is a prime example of a language that reflects the "social gospel" concept that has invaded so many churches of Christ(?). The New Testament speaks of one who is a minister of the gospel, but the above paper advertises for "youth minister, associate minister, education minister, family involvement minister, missionary minister, motivational minister, prison minister, pulpit minister, and worship leader/associate minister!" Such speech makes it known that someone is not reading the Bible and uses terms that cannot be found in the New Testament. As many churches of Christ march toward becoming a denomination among denominations, their speech is no longer "as the oracles of God."