CORRUPT COMMUNICATION

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

        Often when I would read this verse, I thought about curse words, blasphemies, words spoken in anger ect. However, the word corrupt bears the meaning of “worthless words.” It may seem farfetched, but you can hear “corrupt” speech from the pulpit just as easily as you can from the nearest pub. Now, before you mentally fling tomatoes at me, you must understand that in no wise am I stating that going to a worship service and going to wal-mart will bring about the same results. No. What I am seeking for you to see is that no matter the setting and even the “way” we says things, our spiritual conversations can fall so far from true edification. Because although what we say sounds good, it is mixed with plenty of error. Sadly, a half  truth can be deadlier than a full lie. The half truth may be distorted, but it is also decorated. From here I am going to list statements that I have often heard which are in appearance “spiritual”, but in reality, completely worthless.

1. “Fake it till you make it.”   

Romans 12:9,  “Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy, faking). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

James 3:17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

 

            Out of every so called “edifying” phrase that I have heard, no other has given me such a disgust in the pit of my stomach as this one. I suppose to some people it appears to be words of comfort. It is said for the preacher discouraged by the actions of his congregation. If he is depressed, he must simply ACT like he's not so others won't have to deal with his problems and see the wounds. It is said for the lady who has been hurt by someone and harbors a hint of resentment toward them, so rather than seeking reconciliation, all she must do is put on a plastic smile, acting as if they're best friends. As they say in Dover, NC, “Hogwarsh!” The Christian life never calls for hypocrisy! If you fake it, you will never “make it.” We live by FAITH, not by FAKING.

            Let's imagine for a moment that you are walking down some street and you see a man get hit by a car. You quickly run to him in a panic not knowing what to do except call 911. You stand over his bleeding and bruised body trying to console him and let him know that the paramedics are on the way, but before you finish even one sentence, a man walks over to the hurt individual and attempts to pick him up on his feet. Furiously you shout, “What are you doing!?” “Oh, this guy needs to stop worrying about his condition and just act like he is ok. He will get better in time, as long as he pretends nothing happened.” Wouldn't you be the first to request that this strange man be locked up in a mental hospital? How dare we gloss over the wounds of a soul by giving some cliche' answer that is WORTHLESS.

            When someone takes these words to heart and strives to “make it”, they will inevitably end up even worse, because they are trying in their own efforts to muster up feelings of joy and strength. All over the country, there are scores of believer's who do this. They wear a mask to hide their hurts. They are afraid. Scared of what others might think and fearful over how long they have to “fake it till they make it.” Mark it down, when someone tells you to do this, what they really mean is that they don't want to take the time to “bear” your burden and walk that extra mile with you down the path of genuine consolation. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” Imagine that! Believer's actually coming together and revealing their scars, not in pride or out of some duty, but for RESTORATION and a REALIZATION that NONE of us can “make it” without the Spirit of Christ living within.

          

             Romans 12:15 states, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” When I am burdened under the weight of discouragement or just plain weariness, I don't want buttered up words or a counterfeit smile, I want someone who is willing to pray with me, while shedding tears. I want someone who will remind me of God's faithfulness by their own willingness to take the time to hear the pleading of my soul, without some cynical or pious attitude. Give me love! His love! Be genuine! I understand that God gives us discernment and we don't need to be wearing all our feelings on our sleeves. The truth is that we don't have to “fake” anything in life, even when we battle with our feelings. We walk by Faith, not by Feelings, and most definitely not by Faking. What do I mean by this? I want to leave you with a wonderful testimony given by Corrie Ten Boon:

 

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...

And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...

"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.

"But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"

And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

Reprinted with permission from Guideposts. Copyright © 1972 by Guideposts, Carmel, New York 10512. All rights reserved. (www.guideposts.com)

How could she forgive such a man?! It wasn't by plastering a smile in hypocrisy, but it was by faith that God was going to give her the grace and strength to forgive! Inwardly, she cried out to Jesus to “supply” what she could not. Faith is not about pretending, but it is about resting in the power of Christ. It is only through Him that there is victory, it is only through His grace that you will “make it.”

 

P.S. I AM NOT DONE WITH THIS POST, THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER STATEMENTS THAT I WANT TO TOUCH BASE ON IN THE NEXT WEEK, BUT FOR NOW, SIMPLY REMEMBER THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT TRYING, BUT ABOUT TRUSTING THAT GOD'S GRACE IS TRULY SUFFICIENT.