When To Speak
This morning while I was reading the account of Joseph of Arimathea asking for permission to bury Jesus’ body, I thought---Where was Joseph when they condemned Jesus? Obviously, Joseph was a sympathizer, maybe even a believer in Jesus. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin. Where was he during the “trial” that condemned Jesus? Was he out of town? Did he sit quietly and not speak up? Would/could his words have turned a bitter tide?
Early in the 1990’s our church, Swope Park Baptist in Kansas City, Missouri, purchased 130 acres of land in Southwest Kansas City to relocate. This property would give us better access and would be more centrally located to our membership. On the eastern side of that property there was an established community which we hoped would enlarge our ministry reach.
Quite by accident I learned of a community meeting of this group and dropped in to tell them of our plans. I anticipated a mild but warm welcome. Boy, was I surprised! The community did not want us. They immediately complained of increased traffic, housing shortages, and other undesirable issues. They believed the land we purchased to the west was park property and would never be developed.
Not expecting a hostile reception, I had come completely alone. For the next half-hour, I was subjected to serious “we don’t want you” rhetoric from nearly one hundred misinformed homeowners. Finally, a man on the back row of the group stood and said, “Who determined we didn’t want this church here? I think this is a good thing!” Suddenly the hostile tide turned. “Yeah, who said we didn’t want this? Why are we fighting this man.?” It was a very welcome turning point in our church’s plans.
My encounter with the community group was just the beginning of a long struggle lasting a decade. I will forever be in debt to the man who spoke up that night. To this day, I have no idea who he was. I seriously doubt he has any idea how much his words counted.
I have told you all this knowing that Christianity is under serious attack today. Some day in some place you could be tempted to sit quietly and do nothing to defend what we believe. You might reason, “My words will not matter.“ Do not be too sure. Your words could turn the tide.
