Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 21:12-16

"But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name`s sake. It shall turn out unto you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay. But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be put to death." — Luke 21:12-16 (ASV)

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Nowadays, the fashion is always to meditate, and think, and invent a gospel for yourself. To be a thinker—that is the very crown of perfection to some minds, but it is not so according to our Master's mind. His servants are to speak, not their own thoughts, but his thoughts. If they will keep to his gospel, he will give them a mouth and wisdom, which all their adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. We are to be the repeaters of a message which is given to us, not the manufacturers of messages.

There is to be an exhibition of inventions very soon, and it is quite right and proper that there should be. But I pray that none of us may ever be the inventors of a new gospel, or of new doctrines, or of new systems of theology. On the contrary, let us settle it in our hearts that we will speak Christ's Word all our days. And if thereby we are brought into trouble, we will depend upon him to give us a mouth and wisdom, which all our adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.