"Love Speaks the Truth"

A message by Rev Gerri Di Somma.

God wants to do a work in our lives, our families, our cities and our nations but in order to achieve this we cannot compromise. Living an uncompromised life can be a challenge which may sometimes make us unpopular or rejected because it entails speaking the truth. For truth to be effective it must have a heart of love and a desire to want to see change - but it must first begin in your own life, otherwise it's not truth but hypocrisy.

Eph 4:15 is a message to the church, encouraging us to speak the truth in love that we "may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ." The purpose of truth is to get people from a position of ignorance to a position of knowledge, from a position of darkness to a position of light. Truth always conveys a message of change for the better.

Love for people should make us want to help them get out of the mess they're in and get to the place God wants them, but truth is not always received. In the time of the two Kings Jehoshaphat of Judah and Ahab of Israel, Micaiah was a prophet of no compromise. (2 Chron). He spoke the truth as God revealed it to him, but was not popular in the court of Kings. Ahab, speaking to Jehoshaphat, said "I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil". 2 Chron 18:7.

Ahab wanted to declare war but Jehoshaphat first wanted a word from the Lord. Ahab had consulted 400 prophets who all prophesied victory. Jehoshaphat, lacking confidence in their prophecies, asked for another prophet, which was what led to the statement about Micaiah. Ahab relented but asked Micaiah to speak words of encouragement to which Micaiah replied "..whatever my God says, that will I speak". God warned Ahab not to go to war, but His words were not received by either King and the prophet Micaiah was thrown into prison.

The Kings went to war and Ahab disguised himself so no-one would recognise him. Jehoshaphat was nearly killed and cried out to God, who saved him because of his sincerity. King Ahab was killed, despite his disguise.

The same picture can be seen today. People don't want the truth and will try to devise ways of obtaining their objectives sometimes even when destruction lies ahead or lives are at stake.

When we look at the experience of Ahab and Jehoshaphat, we see certain ungodly desires common today:

Love of flattery People are only satisfied or happy with what they want to hear, not the truth. As long as their plans are sanctioned by others, they are seen as messengers from God. We must measure everything in relationship to the word of God, because false prophecy can speak to our emotions and what WE want, rather than what God wants for us. Genuine prophecy should confirm what God has already spoken in intimacy with Him. Ahab sought 400 prophets because he was not hearing God himself.

Gratification of self 2 Tim 4:3-5 refers to people with "itching ears". Self-centredness causes us not to want to hear the truth. Even when we ask for an opinion, we don't want an honest one, and society has fallen into the trap of "minimising" responses in such circumstances to avoid hurting feelings or giving offence. When we do this, we are really lying. 2 Tim warns us "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and turn themselves away from the truth...but you be watchful...endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist and fulfil your ministry".

As Christians in society today we must guard against challenging in a popular way rather than an effective way. The popular way ignores God's divine structure of government, or order, calling good evil and evil good, and avoids being seen as controversial. We need to stop lying and tell people what they should hear, and not what they want to hear. This applies to us as individuals as well as the corporate church. We then become messengers of God.

A messenger of God can be seen as being:

The ministry of a messenger - Is speaking the truth in love.

The purpose of the ministry of the messenger

  1. Is to expose sin. This can only be done if you live an uncompromised life, repenting and putting things right with God each time you sin. God wants to expose the things that are contaminating His children, the place of His worship, and purify them so that He can come in.
  2. It requires the messenger to be holy (1 Pet 1:13) This is made possible through the blood of Jesus, the Word and the Holy Spirit.
  3. It demands the highest moral standard in the way we live and the way we speak If we fail in this, we are denying Christ, we are lying.
  4. To challenge opposition. This means raising the standard, speaking out against injustice, against things that are against the principles and the Word of God.

Speaking the truth will always confront and challenge opposition and create greater opposition. God is the safety of society - He so loves that He confronts, challenges and cares for.

Rejecting truth can cost life, which happened to Ahab. People who reject truth strategise their own truth and the end result is always their destruction.

Truth is always vindicated. There is only one truth. No-one is outside of God's ways.

You can run from but not hide from God. His word says "The truth will set you free". Whereas rejecting truth imprisons. Truth has results. Truth received brings people to a place of maturity, the place of Christ, being and doing good, knowing the difference between good and evil and choosing good every time.

Let us live the truth and speak the truth into the lives of others, to bring them to maturity and Christ.

God gave us His word and truth to live by. We must be lovers of His word and truth in every aspect of our lives - that is the safety and success of our lives.