The Text:
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. (KJV)
Eph 4:29 Let no foul language proceed out of your mouth, but whatever is good for edification, as the need may be, that it may benefit the hearers; (Noyes NT)
Eph 4:29 You must stop letting any bad word pass your lips, but only words that are good for building up as the occasion demands, so that they will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers. (Williams NT)
Eph 4:29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear. (NET Bible)
My Comment:
What we talk about may have a profound influence on those who hear what we have to say.
Our current culture frowns on Christians having anything to day about spiritual things. They surely don’t want to hear anything from the Bible. But God’s Word encourages us to talk about our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us (Psalm 107:2). God’s Word encourages us to talk about the Lord both when people want to hear and when they do not want to hear (2 Timothy 4:2).
Our contemporary culture has drifted very far in the wrong direction. To change and even reverse that, true Bible-believing, informed Christians need to speak up and speak out more. Don’t tell me that the current trends cannot be reversed. That idea is the Devil’s nonsense. Think about how the first Christians began. The culture then was just as evil as our culture is now. What could 12 disciples do against such odds? What could 120 believers do gathered for prayer in the upper room do (Acts 1:14, 15)? Jesus told them what to do, and they did it (Acts 1:8). We need to do the same.
We need to reach out to those God has placed in our circle of influence with the message of salvation through faith in Christ. We can do this first of all by direct prayer for individuals we know. Should God open the door of opportunity for us to answer a Bible question they have, take advantage of the opportunity when it arises. We may need to be more aggressive than that. Those who hold views that are contrary to God’s Word are surely brazen enough in their insistence to be heard. We can do better than that by graciously bringing encouragement to those in need of encouragement. We can show them where to find the help they really need by encouraging them to read the Bible, starting first with the New Testament. God’s Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word works (1 Thessalonians 2:13)!
Want some real hope and change we can believe in? Lets stop hiding our message and get the Gospel out to those around us that need it (Romans 1:16).