In the midst of a busy diner the manager who evidently is having a rough and stressful day, begins to down grade and insult a breastfeeding young mother. The belligerent manager assumes that she is disturbing other customers around her and proceeds to kick her out of the establishment. As the tension in the room rises and different customers begin to react, some try to ignore what’s going on and others just shake their heads while out of the blue a young man stands up for justice and defends the young mother.

Then out of nowhere, enters the news correspondent John Quinones and his camera crew to interview onlookers. To everyone’s surprise they had been apart of the filming of a popular TV show. The actors are revealed to the stunned customers and shown the hidden camera. “What Would You Do?” is an intriguing television show that holds the watchers attention and makes one wonder what they themselves would do in a situation such as is being portrayed in each episode. The different weekly subject of the show always gives place to how different onlookers will each respond. More often then not people turn there back on justice and standing up to defend the defenseless.

We will either be a voice crying in the wilderness or in the wilderness crying for a voice! (tweet)

We read in the Gospel of Matthew about a man who was called by God. He came preaching in the wilderness. It defines him by saying in Matt 3:3, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight”.           John was a messenger of hope to a people in a spiritually dry and desolate land. Though he might not have looked the part, being clothed in camel’s hair synched up with a leather belt and munching on wild honey covered locust. God had anointed John the Baptist to be a voice to that generation. He was sent to sound an alarm and to wake up the apathetical church.

We are ambassadors for Christ, so Stand Up, Speak Up and be His voice! (tweet)

Down through history God has raised up voices to bring hope and justice to our land. One such voice was a young preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr. Along with being a minister he was an activist, humanitarian, and lead in the Civil Rights movement. He became a voice for justice to his generation. His Christian beliefs motivated and fueled the advancement in using nonviolent actions. Though he was wrongly assassinated his message of hoped lived on and produced fruits of righteousness.

Another voice in the midst of a spiritual wilderness and horrific injustice was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. As a German pastor he opposed the evil conquest of the Nazi regime. He was known for being openly vocal and courageous concerning his opposition to Hitler’s persecution and programs of euthanasia and genocide against the Jewish people. He soon was arrested and imprisoned which ultimately lead to being accused for being associated with the plot to assassinate Hitler. On April 9, 1945 Bonhoeffer and others were executed by hanging shortly before the Nazi regime collapsed and came to an end.

The scriptures declare in Rev 12:11, that the believers shall overcome the onslaught of the evil one through Christ’s blood, which also gives them a confidence for the greater glory, not loving their lives even unto death. God is still calling you and I to be a voice in the wilderness of our day for justice and righteousness. Paul declares that we are ambassadors for Christ, so Stand Up, Speak Up and be His voice! (Cor 5:20)