Use your words well

In last week’s article, I mentioned that my father spent most of his life both pastoring a church and working in the HVAC field. He has long retired from heating and air work, but he continues to preach and pastor. In that previous article I referenced one of my favorite childhood memories of my dad and his tool belt. As I said, after years of crawling under houses, fixing furnaces and heat pumps, he was so familiar with the placement of each tool in that pouch, that he could reach down to his hip and pull out exactly which one he needed without even looking. 

I remind you of that for this reason: when I first began preaching my father gave me some pastoral advice that has echoed in my mind for nearly three decades. He said, “Son, a preacher’s tools are his words, so use your words well.” Then, in good preacher form, he used an illustration to drive home his point. He explained that every trade has their own set of tools. For example; carpenters use hammers, and saws and drills. Mechanics use wrenches and sockets and pliers. Doctors use x-ray machines and stethoscopes and scalpels. And HVAC mechanics carry a tool belt with channel locks, wire-strippers, electrical tape, and more. He went on to say, whatever the craft, those who want to succeed must be familiar with their tools and when and how to use them. 

My father then went back and restated his sage counsel; “for a preacher, his words are his tools. So, if you want to help people and honor God, you have to learn how to use your words well.” That simple counsel, along with the added illustration, has been a tremendous help to me and my ministry now for almost 30 years. 

I write this in the hope that his godly guidance might be of some value to someone reading this article. 

You see, we live in a time when clarity is often sacrificed for clicks. In our modern social media age, factual precision is far less important than personal attention. Bloggers and writers and wannabe journalists, and even your average ordinary person, are all tempted to post something provocative online just to evoke a reaction. 

Every single day, one-liners, half-truths, and sensationalized partial information are promoted on various social media outlets – and sometimes by surprising sources. All of this is nothing more than a vain effort to get likes, followers and subscribers. There is a ridiculous obsession in this Internet age to garner online attention from anyone and everyone, as long as it “gets me noticed.” 

The problem is, when provoking a reaction is more important than promoting truth, fact and fiction are unequally yoked together and truth is what suffers. As a public speaker who was taught early on to use their words well, here is what concerns me; this temptation to embellish and overstate just to be noticed, is not limited to needy content creators on Facebook or Instagram, this is also an issue for pastors and preachers.

It grieves me every time I get online and read yet another inaccurate partial truth that was posted just to incite a reaction from the reader. In particular, if this post was made by someone who confesses to be a mature-minded believer. While most of the men in church leadership that I follow online are careful to use their words well, not all of them do. Sadly, men who should know better, seemingly cannot resist the urge to get online and say some hair-brained half-truth just to garner attention. 

Don’t get me wrong, I have struggled with this temptation myself. After all, there are certain things that could be stated online that would absolutely provoke an immediate response. But it is not befitting of a mature seasoned saint to play the role of shock jock on TikTok (or anywhere else). Christianity doesn’t need some sanctified version of Howard Stern saying outrageous things just to provoke a visceral reaction. If you are a Bible teacher, then your words are your tools, and we should use our words well. 

Godly wisdom teaches that our speech (in person and online) should be accurate, articulate, Biblical, and edifying. If we cannot say it well, we ought not say it at all. Proverbs 12:18 states, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” If we cannot be clear, then we should be silent. Proverbs 17:27 reads, “The truly wise person restrains his words, and the one who stays calm is discerning.” 

Christian, if you think your spiritual gift is stirring the pot, let me remind you of what Solomon said in Proverbs 10:11-12, “The speech of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the speech of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.” 

Pastor, let me remind you (and myself), those of us who speak in God’s behalf are going to be held to a stricter judgment (James 3:1). We should be careful, not careless, about how we use our words. And that is not only true in the pulpit, it is true online. The last thing the kingdom of Christ needs are immature social media drama queens who crave attention and are willing to compromise Biblical accuracy for narcissistic vanity. 

Yes, there is a time for boldness and bluntness, but not at the expense of compassion, precision, and theological lucidity. A carpenter doesn’t use a sledgehammer to drive finish nails. Doctors use scalpels, not circular saws to cut through skin. A barber might be able to wield a chainsaw, but he’d likely not have many people in the waiting room! Proverbs 25:11 wisely states, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver.” That is, saying the right thing, at the right time, in the right way – is of great value. 

Those of us in the Gospel ministry who are active online and regularly speak publicly need to be reminded, we are dealing with the souls of men. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and because a preacher’s tools are his words, he should strive to use his words well. If anything is worth saying well, it is Biblical truths that impact eternity.  

Thanks, dad, for the advice; I have tried to employ it.