Where is the Prophetic Voice of the Church?
There is a deficiency in the prophetic voice of the church. Where are the voices today that are likened to Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Haggai, Habakkuk, Daniel, Joel, Peter, Paul, and others? Jesus, the Son of God, was prophetic to his day as well as to us.
The Prophetic Voice
The prophetic voice makes clear the Word of God for the present generation and at times, beyond. While the prophets of old foretold God’s Word for the future, they also made clear the Word of God to their present generation.
Therefore, for the church to be the prophetic voice today, we must make clear the Word of God for our generation. There are men that God raises up, like Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who was not only a forceful prophet to his generation, but his voice is still alive in our generation today.
The Church Must Speak to Our Culture
When the church rises up to speak to our culture, we are making clear what God says in His Word to everyone. This means that we must be like the men of Issachar as recorded in 1 Chronicles 12:32, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” If the church is to be an effective voice to the culture, we must know what is really going on and speak the Word of God in the most effective way. Certainly through the power of the Holy Spirit, our God is able to empower us to be an effective voice in the culture.
If our tone is angry, they will not hear the truth. God’s truth is what is important to be heard, not us. Therefore, we do not need to be a hindrance, but an asset. Through the power of prayer and the filling of the Holy Spirit, God will show us a way to speak His truth in love to our culture
We do not need to try to recapture our past. We need to begin from where we are today by surrendering to the Lordship of Christ to be the church God wants us to be now and in the future.
Removing the Obstacles
I want to identify three major obstacles that churches have to overcome to be the prophetic voice in our generation. These are conscious choices each pastor and church has to make.
1. Choose preparation over slothfulness.
For a pastor and church to speak to our world effectively, we must be prepared to do it. This means that we actually have to be in touch with our world. We have to know what is going on rather than dismissing the moment. We cannot be slothful and careless.
Yes, this can be overwhelming, but God is on our side and His Word is the answer. We must forward His truth in the highest and most responsible way; therefore, it is incumbent on me to understand the times, so I will know what to do as the men in 1 Chronicles did.
2. Choose God’s voice over others.
With the threats of religious liberty growing nationally and globally, there is some reluctance to declare God’s voice. We read almost daily about threats that are made to Christ followers in schools, businesses, or churches.
Therefore, if we are to be faithful to God’s Word, speaking His Word to our generation effectively, we have to refuse to buy into the threats. Again, this calls us to be prepared and knowledgeable, but at the same time, it frees us to be the prophetic voice God may desire for us to be. The more knowledgeable and prepared we are, the more impactful our voice can be.
Pastors, you are not running for office. You are God’s prophet to your town or city and to our generation. The voice from the pulpit and from the church house must be clear about what God is saying to our generation.
3. Choose courage over fear.
This past Monday, I wrote how courage should be one of the words on our heart continually. We need courage more today than ever before. There is so much at stake in our country and world. Pastors, churches, ministries, and denominations must always exhibit courage that is clothed in love.
Fear paralyzes. We cannot sit this one out, hoping it will go away or not affect our lives. Fear is a major obstacle in rising up to the prophetic voice, and we must rebuke that fear in Jesus’ name. God has placed you where you are for such a time as this. Choose courage.
Since the gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer, then I submit to you that we have no option. We must make clear what God is saying in our generation.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
4 Words Every Southern Baptist Needs Today
In this critical hour in our nation and world, I want to challenge each Christ follower and church to live by these four words.
In a day when people want to define their own truth, I believe we need to anchor our lives and ministries in God’s truth. I am speaking about truth that has always been true, is true, and will be forever true. Our churches, leaders, state and national conventions, and our state and national entities need to be fastened to the truth of God.
If we are not anchored in God’s truth, we will drift away from it. Our people and churches are challenged more in this area today than ever before.
Fastening ourselves to Scripture is the only way to avoid ending up in a ditch or drifting away from God’s Truth. In my newest book, FORWARD, I share in depth about the importance of truth.
I am anchored to the Bible. I believe in biblical inerrancy. I believe God inspired the Scripture; therefore, it is entirely true, authoritative, and trustworthy. It is God’s truth without error.
Do not assume your people believe and abide by this. Yes, this is our hope, but we must always lift up God’s truth, His Scripture, as the authoritative and infallible word on all things.
The assault on God’s truth is relentless, and our people need to be encouraged to abide by God’s Word continually. Please do all you can wherever you are to lift up God’s Word. What He says, He means. God always has the final word.
We need courage more today than ever before. There is so much at stake in our nation and world. Pastors, churches, and conventions must exhibit courage, always in love.
We need courageous pastors, leaders, churches, and conventions. The need for courage will only grow in the coming days. I can illustrate this for you with two examples from just last week.
Union University, located in Jackson, Tennessee, announced last week that they have withdrawn from the Council of Colleges and Universities because two member institutions have endorsed same-sex marriage. It was the courage of President, Dr. Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, and the Board of Trustees at Union who exhibited courage in this situation. I applaud Dr. Oliver and the board, and may God keep Union University forever latched onto Scripture.
Since 1985, Dr. Barry McCarty has served as the Chief Parliamentarian of the Southern Baptist Convention. At the end of last week, it was announced that Dr. McCarty and his sweet wife, Pat, are joining a Southern Baptist Church and becoming Southern Baptists. Why? I will abbreviate what he stated:
- Southern Baptists’ commitment to Holy Scripture and our statement of faith
- Southern Baptists are speaking out on culture issues with clarity and integrity
- Southern Baptists are penetrating lostness in North America and the world
It took courage for Barry and his wife to make this decision. We love Barry and Pat. Even though they seemed like family already, we welcome them formally and rejoice in their future not only as Southern Baptists, but also as faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I call upon us humbly today to live and lead courageously.
As we are fastened to Scripture, living and leading courageously, we cannot lead looking backward. We must keep our eyes on the future. What does God have for you in your future? What does God have in the future for your church? What does God have in the future for our convention?
I cannot paint a perfect picture of what it will look like in my future or the future of my church; therefore, I certainly cannot do that for you or our convention. What I do know is where I am in my life, ministry, church, and leadership, which leads to my prayer of conviction and surrender daily: “Lord, I am Yours, willing and available to do whatever it is You desire me to do in my life, ministry, church, and leadership. Whatever it is, the answer is ‘Yes’.” I try to lead my church this way daily.
Learn from the past. Focus on the future.
In this context, I am speaking of our Southern Baptist Family. As we are fastened to Scripture, living and leading courageously, and keeping our eyes on the future, we need each other more than ever before.
As a pastor or leader of a Christian institution or ministry, I would not want to fly solo in our culture today. I want to be part of a strong convention, denomination, or network that is latched onto Scripture in a firm manner. This is why I have reiterated that we must position ourselves as a convention that is ready to receive churches that fully agree with us doctrinally, missionally, and cooperatively into our denominational family. Thousands of strong, evangelical, Bible-believing churches need a family such as ours.
Southern Baptists, we need one another and we need other churches and ministries who believe like we believe biblically, missiologically, and cooperatively. Our task is bigger than any of us. We must find a way to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations.
We cannot do this alone. We need family.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.