Over the years, maybe like some of you, fellow believers have accused me of various things. I’ve had labels attached to me created by someone’s misunderstanding and premature judgment. These accusers are a very small group of people who see this world through their limited insight into spiritual realities. 

I have been amazed at how quick and easy it is for some people to prematurely attach labels to other people. I am also amazed at how quick and easy it is for me to do the same.  

As an example, almost ten years ago, I began to study the different spheres of culture and how the Church is called to have an impact in those spheres. 

I began to write and speak about what has been described as the 7 Mountains. One of my books, The Sound of Reformation, was written during that time. Without taking the time to understand what I was sharing, they took license to create labels and place them on me because they did not take the time to understand what I was saying. 

I once was preaching on cultural reformation in a church. I spoke about a believer’s influence in their city or nation as part of the Great Commission’s call to redeem nations. The focus of my writing and teaching centered on the influence we have as people of God who have been embedded by God within a nation in our particular sphere of assignment. 

A man with a doctoral degree from a prestigious liberal seminary was in attendance. He came up to me after the message and said he wasn’t sure where I was going with my teaching. He was not a fan of the topic of the 7 Mountains. He said when he heard my message that culture is changed by our influence, not by force, he could get on board with what I was saying. I saw a reversal take place in the man’s thinking.

Our influence will eventually produce change in all the spheres of the culture. If we do not influence the surrounding culture with the message of Jesus Christ and subsequently change how individuals and nations operate, we will have missed the mark.  While some of the accusations that have come my way have been personally painful, I now expect them as validation, no matter what topic I am sharing.

The same holds true for all who follow Jesus. The Lord may lead you to places you never imagined. He will call you to address things you had not previously considered until the Lord revealed them to you. Your voice will draw criticism, even dismissal by some.

If you have something to share, don’t let the presence of an accusation silence your voice. What you have to say may be the very thing people need to hear that will reveal to them a much larger understanding of the Church.