My Speech and Message

I am worn out by the length of the “political cycle” in America. We're still arguing over the winner of the last election, and the posturing for the next election has already begun! Part of my weariness with this whole issue is the “politician-speak” that pours forth continually. Carefully parsing their words, they leave behind a fog of confusion and ambiguity so as not to give their enemies any ammunition. With convoluted logic, they ignore simple questions and substitute lengthy talking points for answers. It seems that they love to hear themselves talk, and they even think that others love to hear them talk!

The Apostle Paul wasn’t like that. He spoke in simple, straightforward terms and depended on the work of the Holy Spirit to drive the message home. I wonder if we hesitate to witness to our friends because we think we need to construct fool-proof logical arguments to impress them. Why not instead let the Spirit live in us and speak through us? Why not allow the love of Christ to permeate every word and every attitude, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1.7)?

Cultural arguments abound: same-sex marriage, legalized drugs, doctor-assisted suicide, harvesting of baby parts, gender identity… We will not win the day by appealing to logic. For, “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2.14). As Christians, we need to pray for the Spirit to convict, to convince, and to compel.