12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. 14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng. ~ Psalms 55:12-14
In this passage, David has come to the sudden and heartbreaking realization that it’s not an enemy or some obscure adversary that has opposed him but his familiar friend who walked in the throng up to the house of God with him.
Today, that would equate to a fellow Christian. A fellow pastor. Someone you used to worship with in church. You attended Bible studies together, and as iron sharpens iron, so you all would encourage each other. Now, that person has turned their back on you. They are in a backslidden state and are causing confusion in the Church.
They propagate holy and pious-sounding mysticism like, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” I have no clue where that saying came from, but I’m hard pressed to believe it was Saint Francis of Assisi, whom it is often attributed to.
St. Francis was committed to a life of poverty as an itinerant preacher begging for his food while preaching, and apparently, a very powerful preacher at that. It’s said that he would sometimes preach in up to five villages in a single day. Often speaking from a bale of straw or a granary doorway in the country, and from a box or on the steps of some building when he preached in the town. Even more, it is said of him that he preached with such passion that his feet moved as if he were dancing.
Doesn’t sound to me like someone who said, “Don’t talk about the Gospel, only live it.”
No, that comes from the silencers. Those who want to hush up the Gospel. They will attribute things like that to heroes of the faith, and Christians will grab hold of it and propagate it, silencing the Church without even realizing what they are doing.
Thus, they become the silent watchers themselves. Because, after all, you cannot preach the Gospel without words.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Use Words.
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