Fight or Flinch

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that point attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested. To be steady in all the battlefields besides is mere flight and disgrace, if the soldier flinches at that one point.

Martin Luther

This quote has been used a lot by the prolife movement to call pastors to speak out on abortion. I think that is a proper application as abortion must be viewed as one of the most crucial battles going on; not the only one, but probably close to the top of the list.

Sadly, most pastors seem unable to find their voice on abortion. In the past, a ministry I was involved with would prod pastors to preach a prolife sermon at least once a year but we didn't have much success. Of course, there are rare but notable exceptions.

The same thing is happening with homosexuality. Sermons on the truth of God’s Word relating to this subject are uncommon as well.

Why? Sometimes a pastor speaks out and then receives a firestorm of criticism. Sometimes he is not well versed on the arguments. He may view these as political issues and doesn’t want to taint his pulpit. He may look out at the people and figure that many of them are personally affected and he doesn’t want to hurt their feelings.

The same happened with divorce. So many in the church have been divorced so pastors can’t bring themselves to say it’s wrong. The sad result is the problem is compounded. People don’t know what God’s Word says so they end up doing what the world tells them to do.

All of us have our flinching point. It may be easy for me to speak on certain subjects but harder on others. I may have it together in certain areas but am a mess in many others. So it’s not an us verses them message. What we have to do is recognize where we have a hard time and move towards getting it right.

If your pastor speaks on a controversial subject let him know you support him and why. It’s a hard job he has to do in this culture.

If you are a pastor then know that your words can change lives. Your lack of words can do the same. Realize that most people in your church are deeply affected by the world and are not searching out these issues themselves. Do you know where the world and the devil are now attacking? Find out and then find your voice. Don’t give a surface sermon. Dig deep and preach deep. Don’t let criticism deter you. Be the man! Give a challenge to your people. They may squirm and complain but history will vindicate you.

Philip