A worker of the Lord must speak accurate words; he must not be careless with his tongue. He can only be a conveyer of God's word. If he is disciplined in his tongue, he will be spared of any entanglements. Our heart aches when we think of the lack of restraint among God's workers in the things they say. The brothers and sisters may be entertained by our gossip and interesting tales, but we will fail to command their respect when we speak for the Lord. Do not think that it is all right to joke and make fun with our brothers and sisters. There may be much fun in the joking and jesting, but when we turn around to speak God's word, they will consider our words to be of the same value as our stories, and our words will lose their weight. Some brothers can gain others' ears when they say something, while others may say the same thing yet not command any attention. We should consider the reason some have an audience while others do not. Their words may be the same. Certainly God's word is the same, but the way they speak at ordinary times differs. Let us pay attention to this matter. We may be the same as far as speaking God's word is concerned, but if we are different with our other speakings, we will be different when it comes to the power behind God's word. If we are used to loose words and always indulge ourselves in unrestrained conversations, the impact of our words on those who listen will be the same when we speak for the Lord as it is when we speak in a loose way. There will be very little impact at all. Brothers and sisters, let us remember that a spring cannot send forth from the same opening sweet and bitter water. It cannot supply sweet water at one time and bitter water at another time. The bitter water is always bitter. Its bitterness may be moderated sometimes, but it is still bitter. When clean water and filthy water are mixed together, the filthy water does not become clean; rather, the clean water becomes filthy. Many brothers have no impact in their speaking, not because they are wrong in the words they preach, but because they are wrong in their other speakings, the ordinary speakings outside the platform. When they preach God's word, nobody listens to them. We must remember that the words we speak on the platform are governed by the words we speak off the platform. If we talk foolishly off the platform, our words on the platform will be completely spoiled. The sweet water will become bitter. There is no need for laborious preparations before we preach, but there is the need for constant precaution in our ordinary, everyday conversation. We cannot expect to have any power in our service to the Lord if we are not restricted in our daily living. If we are loose and inaccurate in our words, confuse truth for falsehood, joke and jest all the time, and even lie, we cannot have any power in our service. We must begin by controlling our tongue so that we can preach God's word.
Accurate words have much to do with one's reading of the Bible. The Bible is the most accurate book in the world. God's word is the only accurate word in the world. If we do not have a habit of speaking accurately, we cannot read the Bible, much less preach the Bible. Some brothers cannot read the Bible in the condition that they are in. It takes a certain character to be a gospel preacher. It also takes a certain character to read the Bible. A sloppy person cannot read the Bible because God's word is accurate. A sloppy person will miss everything in God's word. In fact, he will understand it in the wrong way.