“The principle pain in hearing is that we just don’t want to hear some things,” [Fred] Craddock said. “We avoid things we don’t want to hear because they might disturb us.”
One of those things, Craddock implied, is the verbal sharing of one’s faith, a practice he said many have abandoned by letting others’ distasteful misuse and distortion of evangelism silence their own witness.
Too many Christians buy into the idea that a vocal witness is not important and “words don’t mean anything,” Craddock said, when the truth is that “words mean everything.”
And yet in the past we have been warned that ‘walking the walk is more important than talking the talk’. In fact, Petra even immortalized this sentiment in song:
[url=http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?category=mr&page=428&viewkey=ae73eb565aa4d67546de&viewtype;=][b]Seen and Not Heard[/b][/url]
Words and music by Bob Hartman
Based on Matthew 7:3,5, James 1:2, Matthew 5:16
Too many black sheep in the family
Too many stones from a house of glass
They’ve heard the story, they’ve heard the lines
But talk is too cheap to change their minds
They want to see some vital signs
Convictions – in the way we live
Convictions – not a narrative
Actions speak a little louder than words
[i](Chorus)
Seen and not heard, seen and not heard
Sometimes God’s children should be seen and not heard
There’s too much talk and not enough walk
Sometimes God’s children should be seen and not heard[/i]
Delayed reaction to hostility
Brings us into reality
Cause when we answer in our defense
They can see through the false pretense
They want to see some evidence
Commitment – no more alibis
Commitment – not a compromise
Actions speak a little louder than words
Let your light so shine in all you do
With an answer near when they come to you
Don’t let your mouth start talkin’
Until your feet start walkin’