THUS SAITH WE

Thus Saith We

When the Church Speaks for Itself Instead of for God

We are a people who can claim spirituality in every area we deem necessary — gifted in teaching, preaching, singing, and prophesying. We move in the gifts. We know the language. We know how to set the atmosphere. And yet, it is the little things we overlook. The everyday things. The way we speak. The way we make people feel.

And somehow, in the middle of all of that, we convince ourselves we are in right standing with both God and man.

We are gifted in the pulpit but loose with our lips — and that contradiction is costing us souls.

We speak too quickly. We share our opinions with the weight of a Word from God, when what we are really offering is what thus saith we — not thus saith the Lord. And this is not a problem on the fringes. This is prevalent within the Body of Christ.

What the Word Already Tells Us

James 1:19–23 (KJV)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which can save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.

This is not a suggestion. It is an instruction. And we know it — we have preached it, quoted it, shared it on social media. Yet when the moment comes to be slow to speak, we rush right past it, led by our feelings instead of His Spirit.

When we are quick to speak on everything without being led by the Holy Spirit, there is no softening what it truly is: self-righteousness. It is the posture of someone who believes they have all the answers — and acts accordingly.

The Cost of Self-Righteousness

I have witnessed this for years. And more than that, I have heard the testimonies of people who walked away — not from God, but from the Church — because of it.

People who said they felt out of place. Like they did not belong. Like they were being sized up and found lacking before they ever had a chance to find their footing in the Kingdom.

Some of us wear pride and arrogance like a garment — and it shows. We are not fooling anyone but ourselves.

And then we wonder why souls are not being won. We wonder why the Church is losing ground in the culture. But could it be that the very ones called to draw people in are pushing them away instead?

We Lack Wisdom — and We Must Admit It

Proverbs 11:30 says it plainly:

Proverbs 11:30 (KJV)

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

We lack wisdom in almost every aspect of our call to Kingdom building and soul-winning. We have been so focused on being right that we have forgotten how to be effective. We have confused boldness with brashness, conviction with condemnation, and speaking truth with simply speaking.

Soul winning requires wisdom. And wisdom requires us to be intentional about how we represent the One who sent us.

A Prayer for the Body of Christ

My prayer is for wisdom — wisdom on how to minister to the lost, and how to sincerely be a light in the darkness rather than another reason to stay away from it.

And I pray for realness within the Body of Christ. That we would be mindful of how we interact with one another. That we would guard our tongues — not just in what we say, but in what we claim God is saying.

There is a weight that comes with speaking on behalf of the Lord. We should feel that weight. We should slow down long enough to ask: Is this what God is saying? Or is this what I think? Is this wisdom from above — or is this thus saith we?

Let us be a people who know the difference — and choose accordingly.

— Linda McKinzie | The Disciplined Disciple

Not every disciple is disciplined.