I Will Not Be Silent About Jesus
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class opened with a warm welcome to Wayne Roberts, who had traveled from Houston to speak despite health challenges in the congregation. He shared personal anecdotes before transitioning into the core teaching about overcoming the habit of spiritual silence. Wayne highlighted that genuine encounters with Jesus compel believers to speak out, using the Mark 7:31‑37 account of the deaf‑mute man as a vivid illustration. He described how Jesus healed the man in a private setting, then commanded silence, yet the healed man could not help but proclaim the miracle, underscoring the unstoppable nature of a transformed life. Wayne also referenced the Samaritan woman in John 4, reinforcing that ordinary people become powerful witnesses when they encounter Christ. The sermon concluded with a call to the men to become “talkers” about Jesus, urging them to set aside fear and inadequacy, and to share their testimonies boldly. Wayne prayed for the quick recovery of a fellow elder and encouraged the class to embody the message of Ephphatha—"be opened"—in both their hearts and their conversations, trusting that God will use their words to spread the Gospel.
Key Scriptures
And they brought to him one who was deaf and spoke with great difficulty. And they entreated him to lay his hand upon him and he took him aside from the multitude by himself. He put his fingers into his ears and after spitting, he touched his tongue with the saliva. And looking up to the heaven with a deep sigh, he said to him, Ephathah, that is, be opened. His ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was removed and he began speaking plainly. And he gave them orders not to tell anyone, but the more he ordered them, the more they continued to proclaim.