speak

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The Act of SPEAK (Acts 26)

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.'”
Acts 26:1

As we near the end of the book, I have to say it has been a joy to preach through the book of Acts!  It is filled with examples and lessons that I need to learn and apply.  As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

Paul continues his journey toward Rome in Acts 26 as he is brought before King Agrippa to be questioned regarding charges against him to be presented to Caesar.  Paul has appealed to Caesar but Festus and Agrippa have no idea what crime to tell Caesar that Paul has been charged with.  In an attempt to find answers, Paul is given the opportunity to speak.  As we continue to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within us, there are some lessons we need to learn regarding the Act of SPEAK. 

  • Stop:  The Act of SPEAK begins with what may seem like an unlikely place, the act of Stop!  Most of the time we are so quick to speak that we fail to stop and listen for what God wants said.  Paul had opportunity to speak about Jesus because he had first stopped and realized Jesus was truly Lord.  If we are going to give an answer for the hope that is within us, we must first stop and set apart Christ as Lord in our life.  God says that it is out of the overflow of our heart that our mouth speaks so it is imperative that we stop and fill our heart with the word of God before we open our mouth to speak.  .  When we are engaged in the Act of SPEAK, we must make sure we first Stop and listen for God’s direction and leading in what we say. 
  • Permission:  The Act of SPEAK also requires us to wait for Permission.  Paul had been a prisoner under Roman guard for at least two years before he was brought before King Agrippa and given permission to speak!  This is another important part of why we must stop before we speak — we need permission to speak into a person’s life.  When we speak truth into a person’s life without earning permission, the seed of truth often falls on a very hard heart.  It is through time and relationship that we soften the ground of a person’s heart and gain permission to speak so truth has an opportunity to grow when it is spoken.  James tells us that everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  When we speak without permission, we are more likely to speak out of anger and reaction with no listening taking place at all.  We are able to grow in the Act of SPEAK when we invest time and love to gain permission before we speak.
  • Examples:  When you have stopped and gained permission, the Act of SPEAK requires that you share Examples.  When God uses you to speak His truth into a person’s life, He has prepared you for that purpose with examples that show His love.  As Paul is addressing the accusations against him, he begins by sharing his story and the example of how he went from being a pursuer of God to a follower of Jesus.  He even uses his life example of being a persecutor of Christians to explain his story.  God knows our history, both good and bad, and He knows how to use your example to help others see His goodness.  Far too often we try to hide parts of our example because it embarrasses us and we would just as soon people only knew the whitewashed version of who we are.  People need to know how God has transformed your life so they will believe the transforming power of God can change their life.  When it comes to living out the Act of SPEAK, sharing our example as God leads us to helps others to see how God can love and forgive them.
  • Admit:  The Act of SPEAK also requires that we Admit who we really are and what God has done in our life.  Paul reaches the point in sharing his example that he must admit the truth behind the accusations against him — that he believes in the resurrection of the dead through the power of Jesus.  Sometimes we are so afraid of what people might think that we given the opportunity to speak about our belief in Jesus, we fail to admit that what is seen is His power working through us.  When people comment or ask about our hope, our joy, our faith, our confidence, our whatever — do we admit it comes from Jesus or do we brush it off with some casual answer?  We must be careful to not claim credit for what God has done, and for what only God could do, in our life.  The Act of SPEAK gains its power from your willingness to admit that it is only Jesus that has given you any real hope.
  • Kindness:  The Act of SPEAK is only effective when done from a heart of Kindness.  It is hard for me to imagine Paul being given the opportunity to speak in his own defense after years in custody and his primary concern is not for his release, but for the salvation of his hearers.  When we speak with kindness, we speak out of concern for the other person not with our interest in mind.  We must constantly ask God to purify our motives when we have the opportunity to speak so that we would always look out for the interests of others above our own.  When our primary motivation in speaking to a person about Jesus is for our benefit or to make our life easier, then we are speaking out of selfishness and not kindness.  When living the Act of SPEAK, it is important to constantly evaluate our heart and motives so that genuine Kindness prevails.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of SPEAK?  Do you Stop and take the time to listen to God before you speak?  Do you invest time and love to earn Permission to speak God’s truth to a person?  Do you share the real Examples of where you’ve been and what God has done in your life?  Do you willingly Admit that Jesus is at the heart of every good thing you have or do?  Do you speak with Kindness to everyone as you look out for their interests above your own?  I pray that your involvement in the Act of SPEAK will boldly show, and tell, the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

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The Act of ANSWER (Acts 22)

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
1 Peter 3:15

After having the month of August off, it is a joy to return to preaching through the book of Acts!  It is filled with examples and lessons that I need to learn and apply.  As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

As we arrive in Acts 22 in our sermon series we find Paul publicly giving his testimony as a result of being arrested for being at the center of a riot.  Paul seemed to understand what Peter would write about being ready to give an answer — even in times where it might seem safer to just blend in and not speak up.  As we seek a greater obedience to living the word of God, we must also be ready to give an ANSWER.

  • Acknowledge:  As we prepare to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us, it is important that we acknowledge we started at the same place as the person who needs to meet the hope we have.  Paul begins his defense — his answer — in chapter 22 by acknowledging that he not only understands their concerns but for much of his life he was right there with them leading people in the very actions they were involved with.  Sometimes as Christians our answer falls on deaf ears, at least in part, because we don’t acknowledge we were once just as lost as they were.  We want to forget that part of our life.  We want to believe we have always been in a right relationship with God — but we haven’t been!  Our acknowledgement is a necessary part of our answer so that people can see there is hope for them to experience the change that Jesus offers.  When we are engaged in the Act of ANSWER, our Acknowledgement of where we’ve been can help others see they are not beyond the reach of God’s grace. 
  • Notice: For our answer to be as effective as possible, it is important that we actually notice who we are talking to!  Paul appears to do this as he chooses to address the crowd in Aramaic.  As you read the text, it is obvious that using this language gets the crowd’s attention.  Remember, this wasn’t a friendly crowd wanting to hear what the traveling preacher was saying — it was an angry mob already in turmoil over what Paul had been teaching.  If we are going to excel at giving an answer with gentleness and respect, it is imperative that we notice everything we can about who we’re talking to!  Too often we put our foot in our mouth because we’ve not paid attention to the details.  So, our mouth opens and out comes something offensive, making whatever truth we may have shared to fall on deaf ears.  When we Notice as much as possible about the people around us, God will use those details to guide our words in the Act of ANSWER.
  • Speak:  While this part of our answer should be obvious, it is often the most difficult because it represents the point of no return.  Paul writes to the Romans that faith comes by hearing the word of God and that hearing the word of God requires that someone speaks it.  Paul would not only speak as part of his answer about his faith, he would speak as much as possible in a language that his audience would understand.  A life lived fully in the hope Jesus offers will often get people’s attention but what will we do with it?  The speaking we do about our faith in Jesus must come from both our acknowledgement of where we started and from the things we notice about those we speak to.  When it comes to living out the Act of ANSWER, there does come a point where we must Speak about the incredible hope that we have in Jesus.
  • Willing:  To know these first three elements of the Act of ANSWER is good, but doing it typically requires that we ask the question of ourself, “Am I willing?”.  Even when we know the importance of the hope that we have, many times we are intimidated into not being willing to share it.  Paul had been told he would suffer much for sharing about Jesus yet he was willing to keep giving an answer because he knew it was the only way others would know about an everlasting hope.  Instead of letting fear drive our silence, we must be willing to step up and speak up every time God gives us an opportunity to share about our relationship with Him.  Are there people we are not willing to speak to because we think they’re unreachable or undeserving?  According to God, knowing the good we ought to do and not be willing to do it is sin.  The Act of ANSWER will never by attempted by us until we are Willing to be obedient to God in all things and make the most of every opportunity He gives us.
  • Expose:  There is a perceived downside to the Act of ANSWER and that is that it has a tendency to Expose both us and those we give the answer to.  When our answer is filled with the honesty and integrity that it requires, it reveals that we started at the same place as those hearing our answer — we were a sinner in need of God’s grace.  Paul’s answer to the crowd exposed to them that even in his strongest held beliefs before meeting Jesus, he was wrong.  God uses that same answer to also expose the need in the lives of those listening.  It appears that Paul was being listened to, and perhaps even had agreement from among the crowd, until his answer exposed a great sin of prejudice.  Everything was good until Paul stated that God had sent him to the Gentiles.  That was more than the crowd could stand!  Their racial prejudice was so ingrained that they would seek to rid the earth of Paul rather than accept that God desired all people to be saved.  Our answer, or lack of one, can expose just how much, or little, we believe that Jesus is the only way to God.  Who we tell, or don’t tell, can expose our layers of prejudice and lack of faith in God’s power to change anyone who would turn to  Him.  Our speaking the truth in love will many times expose the hatred, hurt, and rejection in the lives of those listening.  The problem isn’t the exposure, it is what do we do with it.  God’s call is for His light to expose, and dispel, the darkness so that mankind would no longer live and walk in it.  When done effectively, our Act of ANSWER gives out the light of Jesus so that the deeds of darkness are Exposed.
  • Respectful Rights:  As we give an ANSWER for the hope that lies within us, we do so recognizing that we have Rights that must be used with Respect.  Paul was not afraid to speak up for his rights in a respectful way in order to have even greater opportunity to speak about his faith in Jesus.  When about to be flogged in an attempt to get the truth out of him, Paul simply asks, as a Roman citizen, if doing so is right.  While some of our rights vary based on the country we reside in and the government we live under, God tells us that our relationship with Him through Jesus gives us the right to be called children of God.  Even when our rights seem to be non-existent or eroding away, do we use what we have to increase our opportunity to speak about our hope in Jesus?  When exercising our rights with respect will lead to hardship for us, are we willing to still speak up about Jesus?  Sometimes it is not so much that we have our rights taken away from us as Christians as that we have given up our rights as Christians because they create a hardship for us.  The opportunities we have in the Act of ANSWER often increase when we know the Rights given us by both God and our earthly authorities and we exercise these Rights with Respect.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of ANSWER?  Do you Acknowledge that you started at the same place in regard to God as those that you are giving your answer to are in?  Will you take the time to Notice everything you can about those to whom you will express the answer you have for your hope?  Can you Speak up and put your answer into words that others can understand?  Are you Willing to make the most of every opportunity?  Do you allow the light of Jesus Expose the truth about Him, about you, and about those you share with?  Will you be Respectful when you use your Rights to gain greater opportunity to share about your relationship with Jesus?  I pray that your response to the Act of ANSWER will boldly show, and tell, the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!