Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. – Genesis 37:5
Sometimes, we imagine that some things are better left unsaid. If you recall the story of Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat, then you remember that his brothers were very jealous of him. Joseph was honest and reliable. This upset his brothers mostly because Joseph honestly and frankly reported his brothers’ bad behavior to their father. Joseph dreamed dreams of how special he was – prophetic dreams that would eventually come true – and the brothers did not appreciate Joseph’s candor and frankness about what he had dreamed. Maybe his brothers had wished that he would have just said, “Gee, I don't remember what I dreamed last night.” Instead, when Joseph had a dream, he told it to his brothers. And they hated him even more.
Maybe in the middle of the night, when Joseph wasn’t in the middle of a dream, Joseph would come to regret sharing his dreams with his brothers. This would be a shame, since the hatred that had been intensified by Joseph’s frankness would lead them to sell him into slavery, and he would therefore eventually arrive in Egypt and serve to save the entire region from starvation. Sure, his life might have been easier if he had remained silent, but he would not have blessed the world through his candor and gifts. Joseph’s candor saved lives.
Sometimes, you might imagine that it is easier and better and more peaceful and relaxing to leave the Gospel unsaid. After all, most of the people in the city around you can recite the story of who Jesus is and what He has done. They just celebrated Easter. So, it might seem better to just leave it unsaid. Let me encourage you to remember what the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9-10).
I hear plenty of people comment that everyone in town is Christian. After all, they say, we live in the “Bible Belt”. I was born in Jackson, but grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Little known fact: the term “Bible Belt” was initially coined 100 years ago by H.L. Mencken, who was the valedictorian of my high school back in 1896 and later became the editor of the Baltimore Sun. Mencken and I have something in common: we were each editor-in-chief of our school’s newspaper, the Poly Press – eight decades apart. In referring to the South as the Bible Belt – and calling Jackson the capital of this Belt – Mencken appears to have intended to lump Southerners together as being uncritical thinkers who blindly subscribe to religious beliefs as a social and cultural experience. (Mencken is well known for having criticized conservative Christians, such as in his famous quote: “Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”) In this sense, Mencken and I share a concern – 100 years apart: that Christianity here is only cultural habit and not personal faith in Jesus Christ. If our collective concern is warranted, then I have a prayer for you.
In Acts 19:1-10, Paul’s ministry in Ephesus saw transformation in that region: “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking”. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives you the courage to speak with candor about who Jesus is and what He has done in your life. Sure, some of your brothers and sisters might hate you even more, especially if, like Joseph’s brothers, they are only culturally religious. But, one day, you might be able to say to them, as Joseph said to the sons of Jacob, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). This weekend, pray for transformation in the Bible Belt. Join the discussion of religion and culture tonight at our First Friday Film Fellowship, worship alongside others on Sunday morning, and be part of our Spring Community Prayer Service at the BB King Museum on Sunday evening. Let’s keep telling our brothers and sisters about the resurrection of our Savior. It ain’t cultural; it’s historical truth that saves lives.
