I Hear You, But Do I Understand You?

Habakkuk 2:2 – Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else." (NLT)

"I have a frog in my throat this morning," my husband announced in a crackly voice. "I'm a little hoarse."

Now I've been accused of having a vivid imagination, and, instead of offering my sympathy, I started to laugh. My mind was picturing a frog jumping out of a little horse's mouth.

Not long after this, I was taking a workshop on how to speak to non-Christians about our faith, and I was reminded that more than seventy percent of North Americans don't go to church. Therefore, they aren't familiar with the terms we tend to use within our churches. It is critical that we learn to talk to these people without the use of such phrases as, "come before the throne", "feed on His Word", and "the plan of salvation". Again, I can only imagine what the non-Christian is thinking when we use such terminology. What comes to my mind are pictures of a kid jumping up and down on the Queen's throne in Buckingham Palace, feeding on alphabet soup, and subscribing to a new health or insurance plan.

We who have had our sins, wrongdoings, and bad choices forgiven, we who have heard the gospel — the news that God loves us — need to be reminded that to many we are speaking a foreign language. Therefore, we need to use simple terms that everyone can understand.

Prayer: Dear God, You sent Your only Son, Jesus, to earth to show us how very much You love us. Help us to tell this truth to the people who need to hear of Your great love. Amen.