Hard Words

When my girls were young, we were headed to what I believed would be a time of financial challenges.

Seeing this as a teachable moment, I sat them down, preparing them for the changes that may occur.

I could tell by Stephanie’s expression she was too young to process what I was saying, but Sara listened intently.

Evidently there was a word I’d used repeatedly because when I finished, Sara looked at me and asked, “What does ‘sacrifice’ mean?”

Upon providing the definition she said, “I don’t like that word.”

You know who else doesn’t like that word?

Everyone.

Not sure how effective my “life lesson” was, but I learned something from Sara that day.

People don’t like “hard words.”

They won’t get you followers or put money in the offering. They will in fact cost you followers (it happened to Jesus), and reduce your income stream.

The Apostle Paul offered the following warning to Timothy. “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 (CSB)

No hard words.

Notice the phrases “according to their own desires,” and “multiply teachers for themselves.”

Tell us what we “want” to hear.

Pulpits in America are full of these “teachers.”

Just like Sara in that moment, many don’t want to hear the hard words.

Words like repentance, sacrifice, justification, sanctification, holiness, righteousness, and obedience.

Phrase like “you must be born again,” “dying to self,” “crucifying the flesh,” “loving your enemies,” “praying for those who persecute you,”“being doers of the word and not hearers only,” and “keep My commandments”

Shunning topics like sin, hell, and eternal separation from God.

The Apostle Paul said the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil (1 Ti 6:10), and avoiding the “hard sayings” because it may cost you followers, friends, or finances is evidence of just that.

Doing so leaves congregations shallow, deceived, and inept in the defense of the Gospel.

We need less life coaches in the Church, and more defenders of the faith.

To mature as a follower of Christ, you have to embrace the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:27) You don’t get to pick and choose what you like and what you don’t. You don’t get to obey only the commandments you feel comfortable with.

You don’t get to avoid the hard words.

You don’t get to change their meaning either.

Did you know the Merriam-Webster dictionary rarely removes words from their dictionaries, but will often label them as archaic, obsolete, and old-fashioned.

Has the word “repent” been labeled archaic by the church? Is “holiness” obsolete, or “sanctification” old-fashioned?

Do you know what they mean?

It’s time we put the hard words, sayings, and topics back into our vocabulary.

It’s time we stop avoiding the “hard sayings” of Scripture.

There are difficult times ahead.

It’s time to grow up.