Advocate as much as possible, just do no more harm

The world needs prophets and the world has prophets. There is no end of prophecy these days, but if we’re not careful our prophetic voices will be harsh and ineffective instruments; noise that may bring dishonour to the name of Christ.

Besides this, when we lose our centre, when we run ahead of Christ, we not only lose our poise, we lose what Christ is doing IN US; the chief target, aim and work for any Christian being. Amazing how this is always the first thing to disappear from view when our voice looms large; God’s voice for us, for our journey, for us, alone—his greatest gifts are indelibly personal. From the personal (the vertical) we go the interpersonal (the horizontal).

Only as we orient ourselves vertically
are we equipped afresh to minister horizontally.

Another besides; we get close to nowhere when our interactions descend into rabble-rousing. If we cannot love people with the truth, including the tougher love that implores repentance, we need to leave them to God or to the enemy, depending on where that lands in the realm of judgement, which is not our prerogative.

Anger is certainly appropriate, but true righteous anger saves the vitriol and inters the incredulity inward so genuine sorrow can birth a resolve that helps us stay the distance. There is no surer way to ultimately burn out than by constantly hissing at those who disagree with us.

What good is anger if it doesn’t pour forth healing—and not just for those who have been harmed but hope for healing in those who did the injustices in the first place, though many will never see. Surely our action must at all times promote responses toward healing; that all comers would come nearer the truth and be better able to love, as much as possible as far at that depends on us (Romans 12:18).

I understand the anger. I really do. I’ve wrestled in that place myself, sometimes unable to reconcile the injustice that has seemingly swarmed around in my world. To be honest, I feel hypocritical writing this. But this is not about me. God wants me writing this for the reason that I’m sharing what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. I’m so thankful for the patiently prophetic voices in my life who have loved me with the gentlest truth.

I value your voice and I’d hope you’d value mine. Christian beings are being Christian when they value one another’s voices, and all the more when they elevate the view that is unlike their own, so long as that view is Christlike. And where it isn’t, we restrain ourselves from instinctive anger that is unbecoming those of Christ. Otherwise WE sin.

When we advocate from the space of I-will-do-no-harm-to-you, we do so out of the fruit of healing. Of course, there must be empathy for those who are on their way there. Empathy, and space, compassion, kindness, grace.

But if our voice isn’t reflective of Christ’s redemptive work, as exemplified in our being coarse, crude and abrupt with others, meting out offence for offence, then our voice is wasted at the very least, and it does great harm to others and to the name of Christ at the most. And it doesn’t profit us at all. It takes us into the opposite trajectory from healing.

We must be honest. If something riles us or triggers us, let us first go inward and enquire with God; “What’s in THIS for me?” In going inward, we stop the reptilian response that in the blindness of projection lashes out at others.

We pause, we reflect, we recoil, and we give God the chance to bring stillness to us from within. Only then can our voice be used to good effect.

I have often thought in my studies and writing on narcissism, that, “God, would you just pinpoint in me any of MY narcissism,” because I don’t want to be a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

I might have lots of passion and energy, but if it’s even one degree misdirected, it lands in India instead of Indonesia. I’m sure that at times when I’ve had a fire in my belly, that that fire has spilled over and burned others, literally without caring. These are monstrous acts.

We cannot advocate against injustice and
in the same breath pour out injustice.

An advocate who cannot model the repentance they can begin to demand from others is disqualified in my view.

Advocacy perhaps straddles hypocrisy to this degree, and repentance is our only salvation when we’ve committed an injustice.

There’s no loving truth in that. There’s no Christ in that. There’s no trust that Christ has ALL injustice in his very hands of judgement in that.

We call out the injustice, we lament the fact, we say it as it is, but we leave space for Christ.

We inter our anger and we allow it to fully form in the womb of disdain so it may be birthed in genuine sorrow.

And, in this, as we advocate with our prophetic voices, we promise Christ afresh, to not stray from the Beatitudes…

As recorded in Matthew 5:3-10, Jesus said:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Photo by Klemen Vrankar on Unsplash