here are times when Jesus told people to keep quiet about what He had just done for them. But there are other times when Jesus calls us to speak boldly about what He's done in our lives. One expression of faith is to testify to God's goodness. To be faithful, we must recognize His goodness in our lives, and then give testimony of that goodness to others.

Faith Speaks - Full Version

by Eric Elder

Good morning! During these last six weeks, I’ve been praying that God would use our time together to help you grow stronger in your faith. Strong like the Apostle Paul at the end of the book of Acts when he said, “I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me” (Acts 27:25b).

And strong like this farm kid I read about who went to boot camp and wrote this letter home:

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you have to stay in bed till nearly 6 in the morning, but I’m getting used to sleeping in late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, wood to split or fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice and cereal, but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by those two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you until noon when you get fed again. 

It’s no wonder these city boys can’t walk much. We go on “route marches,” which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, I guess it’s not my place to tell him different. A “route march” is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then those city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don’t know why. The bulls-eye is ’bout as big as a chipmunks’ head. It don’t even move and it ain’t shootin’ back at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though--they break real easy. It ain’t like fighting with that ole bull at home. I’m about the best they got except for Tug Jordan. I only beat him once. But I’m only 5’6” and 130 pounds. He’s 6’8” and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

--And it’s signed:

Your loving daughter, Alice

Now that’s strong!

Our topic today is “Faith Speaks.” There are times when God wants you to hold your tongue, but there are also times when God wants you to speak. And when God calls you to speak, speak.

I’d like to give you three thoughts today that I hope will make it easier for you when the time comes. Again, if you’re taking notes, I’ll give you all three up front so you can write them down and remember them better. Here they are:

1) Don’t be afraid.

2) Pair up your words with Scripture.

And 3) Trust God to use His Word to transform lives.

To help you see how this can help you, I’d like you to turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 7. We’re going to take a look at how God helped Stephen to speak when God called him to speak. I’m going to summarize the first part of what happened here, then Lana’s going to come up and read for you what happened at the end.

If you were here last week, you’ll remember that Stephen was a man who was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). Because Stephen was doing so many great wonders and miraculous signs in the name of Christ, he was falsely accused and brought to trial. When God called Stephen to speak in chapter 7, Stephen spoke powerfully, even when it was dangerous to do so.

When asked to defend himself, Stephen gave one of the boldest speeches in the Bible about the history of God’s people, and how there had always been people opposed to the work of God. Then Stephen turned to his accusers and said they were doing the same thing. He called them “stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears” (Acts 7:51).

I’d like you to follow along with Lana to read what happened at the end of Stephen’s story, starting in Acts chapter 7, verse 54 through Acts 8, verse 1.

Lana?

7:54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.

Thanks, Lana.

Now that may not seem like a very good passage to encourage you to speak up! But Stephen’s words were not in vain, and the fact that he died makes the truth of what I want to tell you all the more important.

It might have been easier for Stephen to stay quiet that day, but thankfully for us he didn’t. Stephen could have been afraid, but Jesus had forewarned His followers before He died that they would be arrested and flogged and persecuted, so Jesus told them:

“...do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:26-28).

So the first thing Jesus tells us about speaking is this: “Do not be afraid.”

God didn’t leave Stephen alone that day. God gave him the strength he needed to do a very hard thing, filling him with the Holy Spirit and even giving him a glimpse of heaven. Verse 55 says, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

Now that’s encouragement, to be able to see that God is with you while you’re speaking, even while others are pouring out threats against you. God gave Stephen both faith to speak and love for those he was speaking to. Even though Stephen spoke some very harsh words, he also said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Stephen spoke the truth, but he spoke it with the utmost love.

So number one, when God calls you to speak, don’t be afraid. He’ll give you the strength you need to do what He wants you to do.

You might say, OK, I’ll do it, but how will I know what to say? What if I say something wrong and it has the opposite effect of what God’s wanting to do?

Those are good questions to ask, because it’s critical that we say what God wants us to say.

I heard about a preacher who was trying to sell his horse.

A potential buyer came to the church for a test ride. “Before you begin,” the preacher said, “you need to know there is something special about this horse. You have to say, ‘Praise the Lord,’ to make it go and ‘Amen’ to make it stop.”

So the man mounted the horse and said, “Praise the Lord,” and the horse started to trot. The man again said, “Praise the Lord,” and the horse started to gallop. Soon he saw a cliff ahead. In his fright, he yelled, “Whoa, stop!” But then he remembered the term the horse understood. So he shouted, “Amen!”

The horse stopped just inches from the edge of the cliff. The man leaned back in the saddle, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, “Praise the Lord!”

What if God calls you to speak and you say the wrong thing? The good news is that Jesus said not to worry, God will give you the words you need.

When Jesus was forewarning his disciples about the future, He also told them this:

“But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20).

When Stephen got up to speak, God gave Stephen His Words to speak. Throughout Stephen’s speech, he quoted from Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Amos and Isaiah. Stephen didn’t have to worry about what to say beforehand, because he so knew the Scripture so well that when he did speak, the words of God flowed out from within him.

When Jesus said He would give us His Words, the truth is, He already has. He’s given us over 800,000 of them right here in the Bible. If I could suggest one thing for you today to help you speak when God tells you to speak, it would be this: Pair up your words with Scripture.

By that I mean, get to know the Scriptures so well by reading them, studying them, memorizing them so that when God calls you to speak, His words will flow out of you. Not necessarily like a Bible thumper who says, “In John 3:16 it says such and such” but that the words would be such a part of you that you would just be able to say, “You know how much God loves you, right? He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you, and if you’ll put your faith in Christ, you’ll be able to live with God forever.” When you take your words and infuse them with God’s word, the power of your words is amplified that much more.

I remember my Dad telling me to be careful about what I said and to not say anything, even in private, that I wouldn’t want printed on the front page of a newspaper. This was during the time of Watergate when that very thing was happening with people’s private conversations being aired publicy. He had seen that happen to others and didn’t want it to happen to me. I’ve thought of that several times, in particular when sharing my testimony, because there are some things I’d rather not talk about in public if I don’t have to.

But I decided at one point that even if I did have to talk about those things, at least I’d be able to talk about Christ at the same time, so hopefully both would appear on the front page of the newspaper.

I was at a Christian conference one time waiting outside for a seminar when a man came up to me. He asked about the conference and he asked about my testimony. When he mentioned he was a reporter, you can imagine the wave of fear that shot through me. But at the same time, a wave of the Holy Spirit shot through me as well, and I decided to tell him everything he wanted to know, and that I would use Scripture as much as possible, so if he ever reported on the story, he’d be able to quote some Scripture there as well.

We talked and walked for more than an hour and in that time together, he got an earful of Scripture. I invited him to a chapel service later that night, and when I left the conference, I didn’t know what would happen. I just had to trust God to do whatever He wanted with it.

A few weeks later, I got a call back from that reporter. It turned out he wasn’t there to cover the conference, but because God had drawn him to the conference for his own personal reasons. He said he gave his life to the Lord that night at the chapel service, and had started going back to church. He eventually left his position as a reporter and went into full-time ministry. I’m so God gave me the wisdom to pair up my words with His, so that God could use them to encourage a brother in the faith.

There are a lot of things God may call you to speak up about these days: abortion, homosexuality, salvation...the list is endless. If there are some topics you feel passionate about, that you feel God is wanting you to speak about, I’d encourage you to do this: pair up your words with God’s words. Look up and memorize one or two key Scriptures that you can speak whenever you speak out about an issue, especially those that are as inspiring as possible rather than condemning, but that still speak the truth clearly to others.

For instance, if you’re talking about protecting the lives of the unborn, you might want to memorize Jeremiah 1:5 that says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...” You don’t have to say “Jeremiah 1:5 says,” you can just say, “Did you know the Bible says that God knew you before you were born, that He had a plan for you before you were even formed in the womb? And that God feels the same way about each person.” See how pairing up your words with God’s word can add power to what you say.

If you’re talking about the power of God to change someone who’s wrestling with homosexuality, a good verse to know is 1 Corinthians 6:11, where it talks about people in the city of Corinth who struggled with all kinds of issues, including homosexuality. It says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” When people say homosexuals are born that way and they can’t change, just say, “Actually they can. There were people who changed back in the days of Jesus by the Spirit of God, and I know people today who have changed by the Spirit of God, too.”

If you’re talking about salvation and someone says they think you can get to Go through any religion, you can share with them what Peter said in Acts 4:12 about Jesus: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” You can say, “As good as Mohammed or Bhudda or Krishna might have been, none of them claimed to to die for our sins. Unfortunately, we’re all sinners who need a Savior and Jesus is the only who who even claimed to do that.” I’m all for Scipture memory and knowing the Scripture word for word. But I’m talking about taking it a step farther, not just quoting Scripture, but knowing it so thoroughly that becomes part of who you are and how you see the world, so that when you speak, it flows out from within you.

Peter, the one who said that there is no other name by which we must be saved, also said: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But always do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15b-16).

God will give you the words, and in fact He has already given many of them to you in the Bible. Read it, study it, memorize it so that you can speak God’s Word when God calls you to speak. But when you do, speak it with gentleness and respect, as Peter said.

So look for Scripture that you can use to pair up with your words. And if you can’t find any Scriptures to go with your words, you might want to rethink what you were going to say in the first place! :)

So these are the first two things I want you to remember when God calls you to speak. 1) Don’t be afraid. 2) Pair up your words with Scripture.

The third is this: Trust God to use His Word to transform lives.

When you speak without fear, when you speak the words God’s given you to say, you can know that God will use those words to transform lives.

The Bible says that one of the men who heard Stephen speak that day was Saul. In Acts 7:58 it said that the witnesses who began to stone Stephen “laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” In chapter 8 verse 1, it says, “And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.”

Even though Saul gave approval to Stephen’s death that day, if you keep reading in Acts, you’ll find out that Saul went on to become a Christian himself shortly thereafter. Jesus changed Saul’s name to Paul, and Paul went on to write much of the rest of the New Testament, including letters like Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and others.

Even though Stephen died that day, God used his words to reach many lives. How could Stephen have possibly known that someday, God would use his words to encourage believers in Streator, Illinois, half-way around the world and almost 2,000 years later? When we speak God’s Word, we can have the assurance that God will use it.

As God promised in Isaiah 55:11, “My word...will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Who knows, your words might be the ones to help someone finally find the Truth for themselves.

Some of you may have seen the new movie out called Horton Hears A Who, based on the Dr. Seuss book from 1954. I’d like to read to you part of that story because it helps to show the importance of adding your voice, no matter how small, even if there are already others out there speaking.

In this story, an elephant named Horton has such big ears that he can hear a bunch of tiny people talking who live on the top of a clover. Horton tries to tell his friends about the Whos, but since they can’t hear them, they just make fun of Horton.

When a kangaroo decides to destroy the clover, Horton and the Whos come up with a plan to have all of the Whos begin yapping and yipping and beeping and bipping as loud as they can so others will realize they’re really there and they’re really alive.

But it’s not working. Here’s what the book when the Mayor of Whoville is trying to figure out why:

And, just as he felt he was getting nowhere,
And almost about to give up in despair,
He suddenly burst through a door and that Mayor
Discovered one shirker! Quite hidden away
In the Fairfax Apartments (Apartment 12-J)
A very small, very small shirker named Jo-Jo
Was standing, just standing, and bouncing a Yo-Yo!
Not making a sound! Not a yipp! Not a chirp!
And the Mayor rushed inside and grabbed the young twerp!

And he climbed with the lad up the Eiffelberg Tower.
“This,” cried the Mayor, “is your town’s darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of their Country!” he said.
“We’ve GOT to make noise in greater amounts!
So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!"
Thus he spoke as he climbed. When they got to the top,
The lad cleared his throat and he shouted out, “YOPP!”

And that Yopp...
That one small, extra Yopp put it over!
Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover
their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean
And the elephant smiled. “Do you see what I mean?...
They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.
And their whole world was saved by the Smallest of All!”

Your voice may be the last YOPP that finally helps someone over the top, helps them to find the Truth and saves their lives.

Whatever the topic is, speak with gentleness and respect. I happened to watch a video this week of an interview with Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was talking about speaking the truth in love. Here are a few of the things he said:

“We’re called to speak lovingly, kindly, treating people with integrity and compassion, no matter who they are no matter how far they fall from God’s standard. ... Speaking the truth without loves leads to a cold hearted legalism; speaking love without the truth leaves people bereft of direction. ... If a friend tells you you are well when when you’ve got cancer, that’s a false friend. I’m gonna tell you the truth that what you’re doing is wrong, God says it’s wrong, and I say it’s wrong. I love you, but I want to set you free.”

When God calls you to speak, speak. 1) Don’t be afraid. 2) Pair your words with Scripture. And 3) Trust God to use His Word to transform lives. His word will never return empty. It will always accomplish the purpose for which He sent it.

I’d like to close our time together talking about faith by encouraging you, that if you’ve never put your faith in Christ as your Lord and your Savior, that you would do it today. That’s the greatest thing in your life you can do by faith. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God wants you to live with Him forever, but because of sin in our lives, we can’t. Somehow we have to get rid of our sin. And that somehow is through Christ. The Bible says that when Christ died on the cross, He took all of your sins upon Himself, paying the price for those sins so that you could go free, and come freely back to God, if you’ll put your faith in Christ.

Of all the leaders of the major world religions of the world, Christ is the only one who claimed and can save you. The truth is, we’re all great sinners, but Christ is a great Savior. The reason I love Jesus so much is that He was the only one who was willing to step in and pay the price for me, to take the punishment on Himself that I deserved for my sins.

Christ died for your sins, too, but to receive that forgiveness, you have to take a leap of faith and put your faith in Him. I know it’s hard, but I assure you when you take that leap, God will catch you. He’ll help you step over from death to life. I can give you all the information to help bring you to the edge, but you’re the one who will have to take the leap.

If God is calling you to take a leap of faith today, take it. You may not be able to see how that could possibly help you get across from death to life, but like me and like many others in this room, if you’ll take that step of faith, God will honor it, He will catch you and keep you from falling, and more importantly, He will save you from having to die for your own sins so that you can live with Him forever.

As we come to our time of decision, if you’d like to make your decision public, or if you’d like to be baptized, or if you’d like to join our church, I invite you to come forward as we sing our invitation song. But first, let’s pray...

Father, thank You for the example of Stephen and others who spoke Your Word boldly to those around them. Give us the faith we need, and the words to speak, as we talk to those around us as well. Lord, I also pray for those who need eternal life, that they would put their faith in Christ today, trusting Him to save them from their sins, and giving them eternal life starting right now. In Jesus’ name. Amen.