How to Speak the Truth in a Relative World

When I was 19 years old, I preached at a little church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The church only had about 40 people, most of whom were elderly. Of those 40 members, only one was younger than me. I would love to say we had a youth group, but in reality, it was more like a “youth kid.”

By DUDLEY RUTHERFORD

I was just starting college in Missouri, so I had to drive about two hours every weekend to get to the church. At this time I was a very shy, mild-mannered, and meek guy. I was the kind of guy who didn’t want to offend anyone. People who know me now are shocked to learn this, but it’s the truth.

Smoking in the Church

Every time I drove to Fayetteville, I was terrified of the three elders of the church who awaited me. I referred to them as the “smoking elders” because all three of them smoked cigarettes. They burned through them by the pack. And what’s worse, they actually lit them up inside the church building. (Yes, I said inside the church building!)Their smoking always bothered me. I knew it was an unhealthy habit, and the fact that they were church leaders indulging in plain view of the church wasn’t helping us out at all. Who wants to go to church and smell cigarettes as soon as they step in the door? Many, many times I wanted to talk to them about it, but I couldn’t. They intimidated me.

Preach the Truth

One day the director of a local orphanage called me and asked if he could bring the kids to church. “Of course,” I replied. “Come over and we’ll have lunch for you, too!”He brought about ten kids, which increased our church attendance that Sunday by 25 percent. After the service was over, we all moved downstairs to enjoy our lunch together, but the director pulled me aside and asked to speak to me. Once we were out of sight and away from everyone else, his demeanor changed. He got right in my face and started poking me in the chest with his index finger.Dead serious, he said, “Preacher, I’m gonna tell you something. Every single day these kids fight the temptation to drink, swear, and smoke. The last place I ever thought they would see a bad example was in the church! You better start preachin’ what people need to hear and not what they want to hear.”Then he said, “We will never come back to this church again.”Though his words were harsh, they were a necessary wake-up call. For the rest of that afternoon, I was racked with conviction. My church had served as a bad example to those kids, and it was all because I didn’t have the guts to say what needed to be said.

Boldness Unleashed

That evening, as I arrived for our Sunday-night service, I prayed earnestly for God to grant me boldness to do just what that man had said. To preach what people needed to hear.During my prayer, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit rise up within me and fill me with courage and purpose. Before I even entered the church door, I knew I would finally be able to speak what God had placed on my heart. When I got up to preach that night, I threw away my prepared notes. I stood up there and let them have it with both barrels.I don’t remember everything I said during that message, but I do remember saying at one point, “If God had intended for you to smoke, he would have put a chimney on your head! Smoking won’t send you to hell, but it will sure make you smell like you’ve been there!” I stressed the fact that we shouldn’t be smoking in the first place, let alone inside the church of Jesus Christ, because doing so would undoubtedly set a poor example for others in the faith.Truth be told, I was surprised at myself. I never knew I could speak like that. And many in the church were just as surprised as I was. The point being, God unleashed a boldness in me that was completely contrary to my nature.

Fired in Fayetteville

The very next Sunday morning I made my drive from college to Fayetteville. I was preparing to deliver the message when one of the three elders pulled me to the side.Calmly he said, “Dudley, we’ve decided to let you go.”“Why?” I asked.He said, “For financial reasons.”“Financial reasons? You only pay me $50 a week!”“I know, but we just can’t afford to keep you.”I tried reasoning with him, saying, “I’ll tell you what; I just want to preach. What if you paid me $5 a week? That would at least cover the gas. Would that be in the budget?”He firmly answered, “No, we’re letting you go. Today will be your last day.”I immediately felt that same boldness rise up in me again, except this time it was twice as strong! For the second service in a row, I threw my sermon notes away and let them have it again. They definitely didn’t want me to come back after that message.I will never forget what the orphanage director said to me on that Sunday afternoon in Fayetteville: “You better start preachin’ what people need to hear and not what they want to hear.” If I had a photo of him digging his finger into my chest, I would have it framed and sitting on my office desk to this day. It changed my life.

Fire in Your Bones

Today, you may be just like I was at age nineteen—timid and frightened to say what you know in your heart is true. God can empower and embolden you to proclaim truths you never thought were possible. He will change the lives of others before your very eyes.For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 nkjv)Sharing the hope of the Gospel with as many people as I possibly can is my life’s burden and passion. Do you feel this compelling call as well? Pray and ask God to fill you with boldness and courage to speak up. Pray and ask Him to dissolve concerns about what others might think of you or say or do if you tell them the truth.You don’t have to be a full-time preacher or pastor to get involved in God’s mission to save the world through His Son Jesus. If you ask Him, God will instill in you a burden for sharing your faith. Just as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed in Jeremiah 20:9, the Word of God will become like a fire in your heart and in your bones that you won’t be able to hold in even if you tried.Taken from the book, Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith, © 2018 by Dudley Rutherford. Used with permission by Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. Rutherford is the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has campuses in Agua Dulce, West Los Angeles, and the West Valley. You can connect with Dudley at www.LiftUpJesus.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

READ: Are You Compelled to Share Jesus?

If We're More American Than Christian We're Compromised, Says 'Jesus Untangled' Author

As the Church has become increasingly entangled in the pursuit of politics, the Gospel has become tarnished and often abandoned as the primary focus of the Body of Christ. — From Jesus Untangled — Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb back coverJesus Untangled author Keith Giles recently shared with Together LA that unity in the Church in Los Angeles is more critical than even other big cities simply because of "the breadth of diversity and the collision of cultures that are represented." He makes the case that his book is a "prophetic call for the Church to awaken from the 'American Dream' and to return to Her first love."Our interview (transcript below) with Giles drew some rather pointed answers from him about the state of affairs for Christians and their politics today.Together LA: What parts of your book address unity?Keith Giles: The entire theme of the book is about the dangers of putting politics at the center of our faith; whether as individuals or as the church. Unity itself isn’t the goal. It’s the byproduct of placing Jesus at the center and following Him. The book certainly does examine how divisive politics can be to the Body of Christ, so as we untangle our faith and crucify our politics, we begin to see our brothers and sisters as they truly are, without seeing them through a political filter.One reason we need to untangle our faith from politics is that if we are more “American” than “Christian” then we’ve become compromised by our nationality. AS I point out in the book: You can’t convert a culture if that culture has already converted you. We need to abandon our politics and seek first the Kingdom of God.TLA: A lot of people place much of their focus on political solutions to issues of social injustice. I know your book addresses this head-on. What would you say to these people in a nutshell?Giles: First of all, there’s big difference between politics and justice. In the book I point out that people like MLK and William Wilberforce weren’t practicing the same sort of politics we’re being pulled into today. MLK and Wilberforce both fought for the rights of the oppressed. They weren’t looking to pass laws that gave their party a political advantage over others. They were both willing to lay their own lives on the line to see justice done. Wilberforce even wrote a book where he urged Christians not to become entangled with politics but to transform the culture with the Gospel, which is really what Jesus told us to do in the first place. In fact, it’s really the only way to bring transformation into our world. Politics can’t change hearts, only Jesus can do that.TLA: How is Jesus Untangled pertinent to people living in Los Angeles or any other metropolis?Giles: I think unity is more critical in a place like LA, just because the breadth of diversity and the collision of cultures that are represented. More than, say any another large city like Houston or Nashville for example.For Christians, unity is extremely important – or at least it should be. Because, Jesus said our unity would be a sign that everyone would know that He was the Messiah who was sent by the Father. If we are divided politically (or any other way) we’re denying that Jesus is who He says He is.TLA: What needs to be done as Christians and as a Christian community to advance this idea of unity in the Church (with a capital "C")?Giles: We have to find what unites us and focus on that as much as possible. According to the New Testament, our unity is only found in Christ.Paul says, “For we all are one in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Gal. 3:28]. Notice he doesn’t say “we are all one in our doctrines”, or “our opinions” or “our political views”. In those things all we have is division. But if we remain in Christ, then we experience unity.So, whenever Christians argue about politics or divide over political views, it’s because they’ve allowed something else to eclipse Jesus in their heart.As I point out in my book, “What do you get when you mix religion and politics? You get politics.”People in first century Corinth had a similar problem. They were dividing over which Apostle was their favorite and Paul rebuked them for that. Yet today Christians feel it’s ok to divide over their favorite political candidate or party. That’s in violation of what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians.TLA: What do pastors and churches (small "c") need to do for unity in the city?Giles: Whenever we make anything other than Jesus our center, we have division in the church, and between churches. So, if within a local church our center is an issue or a doctrine, then we will experience division. If between churches the focus is anything other than Jesus, then we will experience division.TLA: What obstacles are there to unity?Giles: I think what many fail to realize is that politics is another form of tribalism. This creates an “us vs them” mentality where we spend our time and energy searching for everything that is wrong about “them” and right about “us”. We lump everyone who is not in our tribe into a single amorphous collective where “all Liberals are stupid” or “all Conservatives are racist”, when this is certainly not the case. But the more we demonize “them” the more we can justify almost anything we say or do because, hey, look how evil they are! Soon, we start to believe that they are beyond redemption. Which, of course, is exactly the opposite of what the Gospel teaches us.