This past Sunday I preached a message to our congregation with the above title. The Lord impressed upon my spirit how imperative it is for us to no longer remain silent, and we must come to the forefront! As Christians we are doing an injustice to our families, those we are called to lead, and others we have been given the opportunity to influence when we are too quiet about what we have learned through life experiences. More importantly God expects us to share with others what we have learned from Him through His Holy Word that has resulted in our relationship with Him. The world has dictated to Christians when it wishes to hear from us and when it does not. Unfortunately, we have chosen to accept their decision as to when to include us and when we should be excluded. Those who know God as their personal Savior are needed to step up and to be heard now more than ever. We don’t have to look long nor far to see that our nation’s cultural divide is widening and worsening. A quote made by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. states “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty of the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.” Should we consider the fact that our silence is doing as much damage as the perpetrators themselves? As frustrating and perplexing as the ongoing pandemic is, could it be that God has not yet brought an end to it because this is a part of His clarion call to His people? Not only do I believe that God is trying to say something to us through this, but I also believe that He is trying to get US to speak up and say something! You have every right to ask or wonder at the very least . . . say what?? I believe the answer to that question can unfold as we dissect the title of the blog.

When one initially looks at the word “confession” we may think of it as the acknowledgement of error or sin. However, when we look closer at the word, we find that it can also mean a formal profession of belief, or proclamation. Culture is described in dictionary.com as the shared beliefs, behaviors, or social environment connected with a particular aspect of society. The confession of our culture is simply the profession or proclamation of what we believe and the reason behind our behavior! Rephrased we could state it as the confession of our faith! What we believe indeed governs our behavior. When the confession of our culture is demonstrated through our lifestyle, there is a certain distinction that cannot go unnoticed as we profess our faith in word and deed. As disciples of Christ — God’s children, He expects us to share the truth of His Word. Every part of His great plan of salvation that brings life and sheds light into our situation and circumstances must be shared with those within our sphere of influence. In a society that appears to be literally crumbling and disintegrating right before our very eyes, we who know that the answer lies in God are obligated to at least offer it. We cannot keep what we possess within the walls of our sanctuaries, transferring it back and forth between one another. Those who already know the benefit of what life is when Christ is at the core of what we believe, must confess that which is the culture of our faith. We who BELIEVE in the transformational power of God’s Holy Spirit are purposed to be carriers of a culture that can cross all racial barriers, invade the injustices, and dismiss denominational divides. Our culture of faith when confessed enables us to bring hope to those in despair for the lack of the knowledge of understanding there is a better way.

Proverbs tells us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; . . .” It is a proven fact that what we say has the potential to bring life to others, and death as well. It should be our earnest desire to speak life not only over ourselves and our loved ones, but to everyone we come in contact with. It is all a part of . . .

THE CONFESSION OF OUR CULTURE

Source: New feed