Apprehension about being a voice 4 God's Word! (Part 2)
In our previous post we shared how SLBC desires to be a voice for God's word, as well as our apprehension when it comes to speaking up and speaking out about issues that need God's truth. We also asked you to withhold judgment until you read this post, so thank you for coming back for this second blog post.
Let's begin with sharing what we mean by having apprehensions. According to Dictionary.com the word apprehension means "anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen." So is it wrong for a church, or a Christian to be anxious/fearful that something bad will happen if they speak the truth of God? Of course not! It is normal to have apprehension. It is only wrong when we allow our anxiety/fear to silence us. Did you know the apostle Paul himself had apprehensions about being a voice for Gods word? How do we know this? Because in Ephesians 6:19-21 Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him...."that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 21" Why did Paul ask for prayer to speak boldly? It was because his human nature wanted to be silent. He knew the cost of speaking up and speaking out. Paul was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, etc. all because he was being a voice for Gods word. He knew the pain of being hated, misunderstood, and rejected by his peers. He asked for prayer because he was honest about his internal battle to be a voice for God's word. He knew the prayers of God's people would help him overcome his apprehension and enable him to speak boldly.
The prophet Jeremiah is a second example of someone with apprehension about being a voice for God's word. He experienced so many repercussions for being a voice for God that he determined not to make mention of God or speak in His name (Jeremiah 20:9). The good news is Jeremiah got over his apprehension pretty quick, and we read that he could not keep silent very long before he just had to be God's voice again. But the fact remains he experienced this apprehension. Both Jeremiah and Paul were apprehensive about being a voice for God's word but neither of them was able to remain silent.
Although we do not consider our self on the same level as Jeremiah or Paul, we do find encouragement knowing their struggles to be a voice for God, and knowing they were able to overcome their apprehensions to be His voices on earth. At SLBC we hope that our honesty regarding our own apprehensions in being a voice for God's word will inspire you to overcome your own battle and encourage more Christians to also be voices for God's word.
Read our next blog post entitled You Can't Handle the Truth, an article that challenges the notion that all Christians embrace biblical preaching!
Apprehension about being a voice 4 God's Word! (Part 2)
In our previous post we shared how SLBC desires to be a voice for God's word, as well as our apprehension when it comes to speaking up and speaking out about issues that need God's truth. We also asked you to withhold judgment until you read this post, so thank you for coming back for this second blog post.
Let's begin with sharing what we mean by having apprehensions. According to Dictionary.com the word apprehension means "anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen." So is it wrong for a church, or a Christian to be anxious/fearful that something bad will happen if they speak the truth of God? Of course not! It is normal to have apprehension. It is only wrong when we allow our anxiety/fear to silence us. Did you know the apostle Paul himself had apprehensions about being a voice for Gods word? How do we know this? Because in Ephesians 6:19-21 Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him...."that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 21" Why did Paul ask for prayer to speak boldly? It was because his human nature wanted to be silent. He knew the cost of speaking up and speaking out. Paul was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, etc. all because he was being a voice for Gods word. He knew the pain of being hated, misunderstood, and rejected by his peers. He asked for prayer because he was honest about his internal battle to be a voice for God's word. He knew the prayers of God's people would help him overcome his apprehension and enable him to speak boldly.
The prophet Jeremiah is a second example of someone with apprehension about being a voice for God's word. He experienced so many repercussions for being a voice for God that he determined not to make mention of God or speak in His name (Jeremiah 20:9). The good news is Jeremiah got over his apprehension pretty quick, and we read that he could not keep silent very long before he just had to be God's voice again. But the fact remains he experienced this apprehension. Both Jeremiah and Paul were apprehensive about being a voice for God's word but neither of them was able to remain silent.
Although we do not consider our self on the same level as Jeremiah or Paul, we do find encouragement knowing their struggles to be a voice for God, and knowing they were able to overcome their apprehensions to be His voices on earth. At SLBC we hope that our honesty regarding our own apprehensions in being a voice for God's word will inspire you to overcome your own battle and encourage more Christians to also be voices for God's word.
Read our next blog post entitled You Can't Handle the Truth, an article that challenges the notion that all Christians embrace biblical preaching!