In 1989, I saw something happen I never thought possible. In 1989 the East German government opened the gates to the Berlin Wall. The city which had been divided by a wall for decades had free access again. Not long after opening the gates. the Berlin Wall started coming down.

I never imagined that would happen. After all, most people believed communism to be inevitable. In my lifetime, I watched one nation after another fall to a totalitarian government.

More than any other person, Ronald Reagan dared to challenge world communism. His was a war of words and ideas. In 1987 he stood at the Brandenberg Gate and delivered a speech on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the city of Berlin. In that speech, he challenged Mikhail Gorbachev  to open the gates and remove the wall. Ronald Reagan’s most famous words were: “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Though President Reagan received counsel from prominent members of his administration not to confront the evil, Reagan dared to make the challenge. In less than two years, the gates were opened.

What can we learn form this?

1. President Reagan’s action shows the power of words and the power of ideas. Anyone who lived through the Cold War and the rise of communism cannot help but be amazed at what Reagan’s ideas and words accomplished. His “tear down this wall” quote continues to stir my heart for what can happen. Words and ideas have power. You and I (especially pastors) should learn from Ronald Reagan. “Words fitly spoken” as the Bible says have a way of stirring hope and encouraging right action.

2. President Reagan shows us the power of hope. More than anything else, Ronald Reagan gave oppressed people hope. He challenged the evil status quo and dared speak what others only saw as provocation.

3. The fall of the Berlin Wall shows we must keep the pressure on wrong and injustice. Reagan refused to accept evil. He challenged and pressured evil.

Our response to an evil world must be to challenge evil and not back down.  Can we make a difference? Can the evil of abortion be overcome?

William Wilberforce confronted the evil of slavery and finally won the victory. Why can’t we do the same with the evils of our day?

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