Our Actions and Speech Betray Us
In Mt 26 Peter is told, “Surely you are one of them for your accent gives you away.” Peter is denying his Lord. At this time Peter doesn’t want to be counted as a follower of Christ. As much as he wanted to deny this relationship, he could not do so. The outward signs were a telling sign of what was inside the man.
On many occasions we are like Peter. We desperately want to be one thing while all the while the outward signs give us away. We claim many things but what we actually are will always come to the surface.
We claim to be followers of Jesus. Our direction is his direction. We claim to preach Jesus and Him crucified. If only this were our direction. Unfortunately our actions outweigh our claims. I realize that by painting with a broad brush I will invariably paint some who are not guilty. On too many occasions our direction has become restoration of the church rather than preaching Jesus. Despite our claims to the contrary a primary direction of our efforts is making sure we get public worship right. Many congregations are building their identity on two hours each week. Instead of preaching the need for Jesus we are becoming keepers of the gate. We may claim our direction is something else but our actions and our speech betrays us.
We claim to be committed to the Lord. Unfortunately our life tells otherwise. Praising God and bringing glory to His name is the top priority to those who are truly committed. In the movie “3:10 to Yuma”, the motivating factor for the man taking the convict to the train is the $200 he is going to be paid for his work. As the movie progresses the money becomes a non-factor. In the end he is taking Mr. Wade to the train because it is the right thing to do. When we obey the Gospel, most of the time it is initially out of the fear of hell or the desire for heaven. If we are truly committed our motives will change. It will stop being about us. The time will come when we serve God as a result of wanting to do His will. We may claim commitment. Talk is cheap but if it isn’t real our actions and our speech will betray us.
When the world looks at us what do they see? Do they see self-righteous, judgmental keepers of the gate? Do they see a people who are self-appointed restorationist? Maybe they see Christ followers seeking to preach Jesus. We may make any claim we want but in the end our actions and our speech will point out what we really are.
