“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” - Matthew 5:37
I’ve been in Baptist churches all of my life. As a youngster, my parents got me quickly involved with the church, which, to their great merit, resulted in me accepting Christ as my Savior at the tender age of ten.
As I’ve grown within the confines of the Baptist church, I’ve seen great things come of this denomination. I, as a general rule, trust Baptists, because nothing comes across the table in the form of doctrine until it has been deftly pontificated and prayed upon. This sometimes results in Baptists being grossly ‘behind the times,’ but it also results in mostly trustworthy principles of God to live by. However, not all I have seen of Baptists has been positive. Take, for instance, the ability to say “no” while in servitude with a Baptist church. It is almost a nonexistent privilege, and should not be.
Christ (then later, the Apostle Paul) implored us to be succinct and honest with our speech. Let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. This is often difficult for those in servitude to the church, specifically, the Baptist church. Most often, what I find in Baptist settings is a ‘get on board’ mentality, leaving almost no room for personal choices. The Baptists take their service to heart, and leadership is not in a position to be questioned. One often hears the word “sacrifice” in terms of how church leadership will view personal preferences. Servants to the church are often coerced into submission by being bombarded with guilt. Is this what Christ calls for? I do not see how what he asked us to do in terms of our speech can allow such a mentality to be forced on to us as servants in God’s Kingdom of the church. What are we, as servants, to do then? Should we buck our church authority and choose to do it our way? If we cannot tolerate the situations, should we then run from them, assuming God had no intention of our service to the church remaining in such a setting? I believe the answer is one to be prayed for, and, I believe, it is one that must be approached with selflessness, honesty and very firm, biblical boundary principles.
We are created exactly how God intended. While disobedience and sin can alter and mar our lives and personalities, our core - if we choose to live life according to the Spirit, and not the flesh - remains as God created us. This being the case, we do have feelings and thoughts that we have developed through our years that we are passionate about. Often, our church leaders may call on us to effect change in those areas we cherish. Is this their right, according to God’s plan for the church? While it is not their right to effect the requested changes forcibly, it is, by nature of their appointed positions, their right to request them. Once requested, the choice then becomes ours. We must seek to know God and ourselves to the point that we create within ourselves lines that we do not allow others to cross. These lines, or fences, protect our intellectual and spiritual property. Allowing others to cross those lines will ultimately affect our relationship with God. If we do not insist that others respect the boundaries of who we are, how will we then respect God’s boundaries? It all points back to Christ’s statement: “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” In issues of spiritual and intellectual property, we alone hold the key. We are not bound by anything to justify our positions, if we have honestly sought God’s direction and feel a request would cross the boundaries of who we are. Should we choose to justify our position, we often begin to lie, and lying is sin and God cannot bless sin. God cannot even be in the presence of sin, let alone bless it. It is perfectly acceptable to explain our actions - should we wish to. However, justifying our actions often leads to a breaking down of our boundaries and decisions.
So, if we find ourselves in positions that seek to cross our boundaries, are we then justified in running away? Again, the answer is one requiring much prayer and seeking of how God would have us handle ourselves. But there comes a time when we will have to stand with our decisions and not fall into the trap of letting prayer become our crutch of laziness when we do not wish to face something. Perhaps, when seeking God, we may find that he has placed us in our situation to not only teach us, but that we may serve as an object lesson for those who test our patience. Our lives are ever-changing periods of growth if we are truly seeking to let God use us. Growth is never easy, but, done God’s way, it is always profitable to us.
In the end, done God’s way, our “yes” and “no” will begin to serve their intended purpose: to state, in honesty, how we feel about what we have been asked to do. If we seek honest communication with one another, we begin to see each other as truly unique and amazing creatures that God is proud to have created. Let’s make God proud and learn to communicate effectively.