Show and Tell
The expression “Show and Tell” means different things in different contexts. It shows up more than 2 million times on a popular Internet search engine. In the context of our spiritual life, both “showing” and “telling” are important. Often it’s our words that help others understand our actions. That’s because sometimes we do the same things that anyone else would do, or at least that some others would do, but our motivations are different. If we don’t express ourselves verbally, others miss the point. Besides, some abstract ideas are very important, but cannot be easily communicated by actions even if you are a gifted mime.
In Titus 2, Paul wrote this to his young protégée: “As for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” It is important to help other Christians understand God’s expectations of how they should live. In this chapter, Paul tells Titus to approach different demographic groups with appropriate relevant information. Paul understood that different people have different interests and issues and instructed Titus on a few specific subgroups of his congregation.
At the end of the chapter and he wrote: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things.”
Paul reminded Titus of the fundamentals of the gospel and then challenged him to express them by speaking about them. Titus may have been living an exemplary Christian life but he needed to use his words to communicate sound doctrine. The same goes for us in our day.
Let me tell you about something that happened to me. This kind of thing startles me and I am not usually prepared. So I have to learn from my experiences so I can be prepared in the when a similar thing happens again. A few weeks ago a man stopped me at a service centre on a major highway. He told me he had run out of gas and didn’t have money. What’s more, he didn’t have an approved container in which to put gas, assuming someone gave him money for it. He wondered if I had such a container I could give him. I had a car full of people. They were hot and weary and we were trying to make a deadline. I gave him 10 bucks, so he could buy a jerry can.
After I got back into my car and was on my way, I knew I had missed an opportunity. I had extended the love of Christ to him by helping him in his need, but he had no way to know what motivated my actions. He just saw me as a nice guy, not as a follower of Jesus. I thought of ways I could have clearly but simply helped him to understanding that it was God who was blessing him, not just me. I missed that opportunity, but if it ever happens again I am ready for it.
Words which are not backed up by action are useless – in fact, they are worse than useless because they are hypocritical and potential deceptive. But actions uninterpreted with words remain a mystery. We can benefit from Paul’s instruction to Titus when he, in effect, told him to “use his words” – to “speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.”
Bible literacy and a proper understanding of Christian faith are on the decline in the West, could it be that too many of us have failed to speak about doctrine and contented ourselves with being “silent witnesses” for the Lord Jesus. We’ve over emphasized the idea that “actions speak louder than words” to the point where very few understand the significance of our actions without our words.
Ron Hughes
© August 2007
