Spiral of Silence – part 2

2 Corinthians 4:13 “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.”

I was watching the debates of the presidential candidates. If we mean that each side can come and present their views then that is a debate. But often what happens with Christians who do not ‘toe the political correctness line’ that they are not listened to as far as their views are concerned, but actually maligned because of their Christian stand.

Therefore, many of these debates are not real debates at all. The reason for this maligning of Christians is to silence them. We must learn to speak the truth with boldness, not in an argumentative way, but speaking like Paul in the synagogues where Paul reasoned, explained – proving and persuading. Or like Apollos who “vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Acts 18:28

There are two things that come to mind regarding the “spiral of silence.” First, we have the need for acceptance, and secondly, what we believe is a conviction or only a preference. I think it is important for us to re-examine our belief. Acceptance and rejection keep people locked in their ‘little kingdoms.’ A human need is to be accepted and not rejected. We need to come to the realization in a far greater way that this need of acceptance has already been met through Christ. He has accepted us. Unless we come to the place where we recognize that we have been accepted in Christ I doubt that we will be able to stand and speak the truth.

But another reason why we do not speak out is that we do not really believe in what we say we believe in. Is it a conviction within us or is it something we prefer now? There is a big difference. Paul said: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” What Paul seems to be saying is that what he believes in is real and because of that – he speaks out with conviction. If what we say we believe in is a preference – will we speak out?

I use the example of the three men thrown into the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel. These men boldly spoke out and in so doing show us what conviction really is. First, we see that what they believed was unchangeable. They were given the chance to change their minds, but it was useless. If what we say we believe in can be changed through pressure or whatever, then it is not a conviction.

Secondly, they were willing to stand alone. There must have been hundreds of other Jews living in the capital at the time. What were they doing? They must have been bowing down, because the only Jewish people brought to the king were these three men. No one wants to stand alone, but even if we must, we know that what we believe is right and true.

Thirdly, what they believed in was non-negotiable. Nebuchadnezzar was willing to give them a second chance to change their mind, to reconsider, to sit down and negotiate – trying to get them to think of the consequences, etc. What was their response? “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” Daniel 3:16-18

Fourthly, they did not need the assurance of success before they took a stand. This is what we have with the spiral of silence. If we know that we might be successful, then we will stand, or if we know that others are standing with us we will stand, but all this shows that our faith is only a preference and not a conviction.

There is a need for us to be convinced that the biblical worldview is the only worldview that answers the questions that plague mankind today such as where did we get this universe and why is man different from the rest of creation; why is the world in such a mess and what is the solution? The only worldview that answers these questions and makes sense is the biblical worldview.

I am concerned just like the late Chuck Colson was concerned, who said: “By rejecting Christianity and its moral framework, western liberal democracies are in grave peril of collapsing upon themselves. They will no longer be able to preserve human rights and liberties. What comes next is tyranny.”

We cannot allow the ‘spiral of silence’ to keep us silent any longer. Might we do what Paul admonished Timothy to do: “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Spiral of Silence – part 1

2 Corinthians 4:13 “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”

Over the past few weeks I have been hearing a lot about the “spiral of silence” and decided that I would do some research and see what it is all about and how it pertains to us.

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist who came up with the term “spiral of silence” that gave an explanation of how public opinion can influence individual opinions or actions. For example, in 1991 support was measured for the Gulf War. The researchers wanted to know if the support was a consensus view or did media coverage contribute to a spiral of silence that dampened opposition to the war? They concluded that those who watched television and sensed that the public supported the war were more likely to support the war as well. They found that this study supports the spiral of silence, people can be swayed by public opinion rather than face social isolation.

Wikipedia says: “The phrase “spiral of silence” actually refers to how people tend to remain silent when they feel that their views are in the minority. The model is based on three premises: 1) people have a “quasi-statistical organ,” a sixth-sense if you will, which allows them to know the prevailing public opinion, even without access to polls, 2) people have a fear of isolation and know what behaviors will increase their likelihood of being socially isolated, and 3) people are reticent to express their minority views, primarily out of fear of being isolated.”

This brings out several things that we need to consider.

First, even if we are in the minority (or think that we are) we must speak the truth and not what is politically correct, or simply popular. I am afraid God’s people have been too silent when it comes to expressing God’s truth. Instead of allowing people who are opposed to God’s truth to shape public opinion, it is God’s people of truth and Spirit who should be the shakers and movers.

Secondly, we know that Satan has divided this world into little kingdoms (or one could call them prisons) and the bars that hold them in are not made out of steel, but rather the bars are ‘acceptance’ and ‘rejection.’ These are the needs that every human being has; that to be accepted and not rejected or isolated. We want people to be released from these prisons and be able to enter the Kingdom of God. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. We read in Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (KJV)

Our needs have been met in Christ Jesus.

Thirdly, we need to do what Paul told the Corinthian church to do and that is to examine our faith. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Is our faith a preference or a conviction? There is a difference between the two. We see this coming out in Daniel 3 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were confronted with the fiery furnace for their conviction.

Public opinion was to bow down and give allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar by falling down and worshipping the statue that he built of himself. This was a classic example of the “spiral of silence.” We see that these three men were willing to speak out, face the consequences and give God the glory. At the end, we see the results: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.’”

We might not be faced with a fiery furnace, but on many issues, we will be faced with public opinion. The question is: will the spiral of silence kick in or will we speak out. We do not need to speak out in an argumentative way, but we should study to show ourselves approved unto God like we read in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13( Paul was saying I know that what I believe is real and because it is real, I speak. So it should be with us.

Someone said: “Christians today are in danger of being sucked into such a spiral of silence. But this is not inevitable. We can break the spiral of silence (1) if we are really persuaded of the truth of the Gospel and the Christian worldview, and (2) if we will simply begin to speak up when opportunities arise, trusting the Lord to use our words as He will.” (Luke 12:8-12)

Might God give us the boldness and courage to stand and be accountable. Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: “Reformation in government follows reformation in opinions.”

Let us speak up and get out what God thinks; God’s truth and wisdom out in the public square!

Choose Well

Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

God created us with a free will. We can choose what we want.

Just has Joshua gave the children of Israel the choice to serve whom they wanted, so it is with us. At the end of our life what we have become, what we have achieved, as well as our eternal destination can be summed up in one word: CHOICE. What did we choose? What path did we take? Being able to choose is a tremendous blessing, but also an awesome responsibility with consequences – so choose well!

In Matthew 16 Jesus asks His disciple who people say that He is and Peter comes out with the great acclamation that He is the Christ – the Son of the Living God. ‘Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.’ Matthew 16:17

Jesus went on to explain that the path that He had chosen to do His Father’s will (Luke 22:42) was going to the cross. However, ‘Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”’ Matthew 16:22

What Peter was saying to Jesus was that He should pity himself, and why must HE suffer being that He is the Son of God? But Jesus turned to Peter and rebuked him quite sternly and said: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23

Jesus went on to say: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) What we have here is a choice. We can choose to pity ourselves or we can choose to deny ourselves. The choice is ours. What path do we choose? Choose well. Self-pity is one of the main reasons for depression. Just start feeling sorry for yourself and you will soon feel depressed. God’s way is to choose the cross and deny self. Choose well.

We could also ask ourselves: What kind of nation do we want? We have the ability and opportunity to choose.  In God’s Word we are told:  “Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.” (Deuteronomy 1:13) We can choose those we want to govern. Choose well.

According to the Word we can choose life or death. The choice is ours. “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

We should not make our choice ‘in a vacuum;’ there must be a true foundation that we make our choices from. So, what is the foundation for our choice? I can think of three.

1. We can make out choice based upon what I call the 51%. If 51% of the people are doing it then we choose to go along. However, are the 51% right? Jesus said that the road that leads to destruction is wide and many (51%?) are following it.
2. Or we can make our choice based upon the ‘popular fad’ of today and so we choose what has become popular. However, tomorrow it will be something else that is popular and so we see that it is a very flimsy foundation for our choices.
3. We can make our choice based upon our belief system whatever that might be – humanism, secularism, atheism, socialism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.

Or, we can make our choice based upon God’s Word, the Scripture of the Bible. This is what I will choose. First, because it is infallible. Secondly, because it is flawless, and thirdly, because it never changes. It is the solid foundation. God, who has given us His Word is not a man that He should lie.

In closing we need to understand the tremendous privilege we have to make our own choices, but also what a responsibility hangs on the choices we make. Choose well!

His Relationship to His Wife

Proverbs 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”

We saw the wise man’s relationship to God, but what about his relationship to his wife?  It is important for us to go back to the beginning when God created man.  We read: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

Together we see that they are to rule and reign. Both are necessary for subduing the earth and to rule over God’s creation. Together they are to be fruitful and increase in number. In chapter 2 of Genesis God saw that it was not good for man to live alone and needed a suitable helper and so out of Adam’s rib a woman God formed and brought her to Adam. Out of a man came a woman, but now we see that out of a woman comes a child, men and women.

A man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” This is God’s order. Not two men or two women, but a man and woman. This is the main building block for society. Tear this prime order down and soon society will collapse.

A wise man will ‘love’ his wife. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) The love that is mentioned here is the type of love that God produces and this is the love that we are to have for our wife. There are four characteristics about this love that need to be mentioned and it was this type of love that Jesus had for the church and that He gave His life for.

1. Accept: Jesus Christ accepts us where we are and in that acceptance we begin to change. So it is with a husband’s love for his wife. He accepts her because he is accepted by Jesus Christ.
2. Aware: Jesus was aware of us: our needs, our past, all our pains, every secret desire, etc. and all through our life – His grace will be sufficient. So it is with a wise man. He needs to be aware of his wife’s needs, her pain, her desires and her standing with the Lord spiritually.
3. Gives: Jesus gave all of Himself. So it with a wise man in his relationship with his wife.
4. Forgives: While were yet sinners Christ died for us. What He said on the cross He says to us all: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” If we do not have a forgiving spirit, then we will have a bitter spirit and we know how a bitter spirit can ruin and destroy.

A wise man, according to Proverbs, recognizes that a good wife is a precious gift from God and understands that a great favor has been bestowed upon him. This in turn leads him to look at his wife as a crowning glory.   “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.” Proverbs 12:4

The wise man looks at his wife as Christ looks at the church in not only praising her, trusting her, but being faithful to her.  I was writing recently to some friends looking back over the past 50 years of ministry and the one thing that we could say is that God has been faithful and that this should be the characteristic of a husband to his wife – to be faithful.

This ‘lack of’ faithfulness to wives is a problem in our society today. Proverbs admonishes us to, “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well,” (Proverb 5:15) and not to be “captivated by an adulteress. Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?” Proverbs 5:20

We live in a time when our families are under constant demonic attacks and we need wise men and wise husbands to arise for such a time as this.

His Relationships

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 14:16 “A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.”

Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”

A wise man’s relationship to God is important because we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:20 “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” It is almost as if Paul is saying to the wise man of the world that if he is so wise then come and give us the solutions to the problems that we are faced with in the world today. They have no real solutions! Why? To begin with, it’s because they have the wrong world-view.

According to the book of Proverbs a man is wise, because of his fear of God and he has God’s view of the world, what we call a “Biblical Worldview.” A Biblical Worldview is laid out in the first 10 chapters of the book of Genesis which brings out the creation, the fall of man, and God’s solution with the redemption of man. This is why the wise man in his relationship to God has the right foundation to bring solutions to the problems of the world today.

The wise man of Proverbs is a man that acknowledges God; that God is exactly who He says He is in His written Word. Because of this he trusts in the Lord to direct his steps and makes his decisions to follow God’s ways, laws, commandments, statues and decrees. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  Proverbs 3:5

The problem that we have today is that we depend upon man’s knowledge and experience and not God’s character and revelation. Like the book of Proverbs brings out, there is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to death. We see this in the 20^th century with the rise and fall of fascism, communism as well as humanism “isms” have been responsible for over 150 million deaths. This is the result of man’s wisdom without God.

The wise man according to Proverbs is also a man who heeds instructions and does not despise the discipline of the Lord. Because he knows that the discipline of the Lord is leading him not only in a prudent life, but a life of doing what is right, just and fair.

One other aspect of a wise man according to Proverbs and his relationship to his Lord – is his quickness to confess his sin. He knows this truth that he “who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

The wise man according to Proverbs is a man that knows that God is slow to move from the seat of mercy to the seat of judgment, but move He will. The wise man has a healthy fear of his God. He rests in the truth that when he confesses sin and rebellion that God is quick to move from judgment to the seat of mercy.