Should Christians Self-Censor? | Fuel For The Weekend

Hey everyone!

This weekend I want us to think about the topic of censorship. It is a very real occurrence in our world today, especially to those who follow Jesus Christ and believe the Bible is true! For Wednesday's Bible study post, I spoke about censorship and recounted how Stephen was stoned to death for sharing the Gospel. It serves as a reminder that Christians are targeted for censorship. As the world loses their grip on strong morals and values, intolerance grows for God's design on marriage, love, liberty, equality, and the importance of family. If your message reflects the words of Jesus, you will be watched closely, possibly censored or banned from social media platforms that are easily offended by the truth in God's Word. 

For today, I want to discuss self-censoring, times censoring is necessary, and scriptures to encourage and guide us as we think about this topic over the weekend. Hopefully we can break it down in a practical way that we can incorporate in our every day lives. The idea is to glorify God in the words we say and the things we do not say.

What does it mean to self-censor? It is what some refer to as having a "filter." It is not intentionally speaking about things that will offend and upset others. Self-censoring is important because it reflects self-control, a fruit of the Spirit. It is not picking and choosing who will respond well to the Gospel message. It is knowing with whom we speak and their character. Self-censoring does not mean being ashamed of the Gospel, but rather being sensitive to Holy Spirit as He guides us what to say.

Times self-censoring is necessary could be when someone is deliberately baiting you in an effort to make fun of the Gospel message, slander God, and argue over Scriptures. We must not engage in debates that do not create an environment of learning from one another. We must communicate the Gospel message with everyone, but be sensitive to know when to keep silent. We should know why we believe what we do and be able to give an answer when asked, but we must be careful not to allow these conversations to divide us as a body of believers. The Scriptures tell us what we must do, as believers. Let's look together.

ECCLESIASTES 3:1 & 7 (1)To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (7)A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

COLOSSIANS 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

MATTHEW 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again to rend you.

The verse in Matthew may leave you wondering what that could mean. I looked up the Barnes' Notes on Bible Hub. They said, "The meaning of this proverb, then, is, do not offer your doctrine to those violent and abusive people who would growl and curse you; nor to those especially debased and profilgate who would not perceive its value, would trample it down, and would abuse you. 

The word profilgate, according to Merriam-Webster means, "recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources." So the take away is that if we know the character of the person we are speaking to is blatantly against anything that is Holy and will become violently angry and abusive when broaching the subject, it is best to remain silent. Live your life in a way that honors God and that silent witness will speak volumes. If God gives you the unction to speak with that person and share your faith, pray and ask for wisdom and discernment. Pray for God to fill your mouth with what to say and then remain sensitive to Holy Spirit as He guides when to speak and when to be silent.

We do not want to hide our faith or allow those who disagree with us to silence us. We are not to be shamed into only speaking words of faith and truth around other believers. We are called to be salt and light on the earth. We are to live unashamed of our love for Jesus. We also must use wisdom and not create disputes to make others uncomfortable or feel judged. We must not water down the truth of God's Word to compromise. Sin is never okay. We should not brush sin under the rug. The Bible says the wages of sin is death so it is vital that we talk about it, but we must not condemn others. Jesus did not come to condemn and we are to live like He did. We are to follow His pattern and example.

Jesus was not afraid to speak up and correct the religious leaders who thought they knew everything about the Word of God. They knew nothing because when face-to-face with the Word made flesh they rejected Him. Jesus was not embarrassed to clear the temple, overturning tables, and driving out the hustlers with a whip. He was not so meek and mild that He would not set the record straight when the Scriptures were twisted and misquoted. Make no mistake, we are not to be mealy-mouthed Christians who cower at the idea someone may disagree with us, but let's not go looking for fights either. Let's not stir up debates and arguments just to prove we are right and the other person is wrong.

Let's sit with this topic this weekend. Have some discussions about it with your family, friends, small group at church, or zoom calls. Get some dialogue going about how we can share our faith in a way that honors God. Will the world try to shut us up? Of course they will! Is there a time to speak up? Yes! Is there a time to be silent? Yes! Is there a time for boldness and meekness for every believer? Yes. Allow Holy Spirit to teach us discernment and help us grow in our faith as we do our best to live our faith out loud in this dark world.

I hope something I have shared has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens