I Ought to Speak
Scripture Reading - Ephesians 6:18-20 KJV
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, 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.
In today’s lesson we will highlight the fact that the men and women of God who are called to preach, teach and speak God’s Word “ought to speak” boldly. This comes at a time in America’s history when many people are lost and looking for the right way because many erroneous voices are speaking out boldly in their own name or in the name of someone else other than God. Notice that the Apostle Paul insinuated that he needed prayer. The man of God didn’t just say any type of prayer will do but rather specifically that utterance may be given unto him that he would open his mouth boldly to reveal the Word of God to those in need. Yes, we can conclude that if prayer is necessary (and it is) we must rely upon God’s grace to speak His Word boldly. Someone might ask, “Why is that?” This is because speaking God’s Word boldly as “you ought to speak” is going to take God’s spiritual strength (The Power of the Holy Spirit). This is because “speaking God’s Word boldly as you ought” will cost you some friends. Yes, “speaking God’s Word boldly as you ought” may also cause you to lose some closeness with certain family members who are content with living a sinful life or those family members who are carnal Christians. Generally speaking those Carnal Christians might even cause you more problems in speaking God’s Word than the unbelievers. This happened within ihlcc because at first I (Eric) was clueless concerning the things of God so as a bonafide sinner Angela never had to argue with me about God because she knew more about God then I did. I never even thought of challenging her about the things of God because I was smart enough to acknowledge (recognize) her understanding of spiritual matters was superior to mine. Now on the other hand when Angela started to dive deeper into the Word of God and following the leading of His Holy Spirit many of her religious acquaintances thought she was moving away from God rather than drawing unto Him. It was times like that Angela opened her mouth boldly as she “ought to speak” by expressing her position in God independently from the views and opinions of others. Yes, we said speak because she didn’t preach the Word of God to those who opposed her she simply spoke firmly and calmly the scriptures she believed. Remember, we are called to speak forth God’s Word void of arguing because the servant of God shall not strive with the ignorance of foolish men. Side Note: Never preach to those who need understanding but rather teach them the Holy Word of God in meekness (humility) and confidence (accurate knowledge and/or good understanding) to glorify God by the speaking forth of His Holy Word. You will find out when you do this consistently the Lord Jesus will certainly confirm His Word with signs following according to Mark 16:20. Yes, the Lord can confirm His Word with mighty signs and wonders but He will also confirm His Word by backing up what you say softly to others. Angela never preached to me as a non-Christian or a baby in Christ although she could have, she personally chose softness and a quiet confidence to do most of her teaching because she knew the Good Lord was working with (answering) her prayers. Yes, first boldly “speak the Word of God as you ought” then step-back to let God deal with the person inwardly rather than your dealing with them verbally. Yes, we (ihlcc) don’t want anyone to misunderstand this article by thinking that believers should nag people into obedience with God’s Word, nothing could be further from the truth. All we are stating is that the men and women of God who know God’s Word well enough should not be bashful (timid) about sharing God’s Word to those who will listen. It is one thing to be scared to speak-up about God simply because you don’t want to speak against anyone or anything and it is entirely something else when you show boldness and utter as you ought and the person is blessed because of your wisdom and knowledge about God. As this article stated earlier it truly blessed me that Angela was more knowledgeable about the Word of God then I was because I believed there was a God in Heaven I just didn’t know or understand anything about Him. When someone is ignorant about God your knowledge and understanding of God according to His Word is probably the best gift you can give them because it has eternal value that is immeasurable. Since we don’t always know who is knowledgeable about God and who needs more understanding it is best to “speak as you ought” in revealing God’s Word to those who will listen, thus you are revealing God Himself to a lost and dying world. Please, our dear faith friends, “speak boldly as you ought” because when all the dust settles and people die upon the earth they will either go directly to Heaven or unfortunately exit into hell. Therefore “we all ought to speak” God’s Word so that all people know we are ambassadors for Christ Jesus, not just vain talkers trying to stay neutral on all subjects in an effort to not offend anyone. If you are unwilling to offend anyone concerning your faith in Jesus Christ you are automatically offending God. Know that if you won’t stand up for Jesus you are sitting down on the job of progressing (advancing) the Kingdom of God. We (ihlcc) would much rather “speak boldly and freely about Jesus Christ as we ought” to gain the favor of God on our lifestyle both in word and deed than to gain favor with men at the expense of Christ Jesus. We only live once so make your one time count by “speaking as your ought” the Word of God in the Name of Jesus. Amen!