Making sense
One of the challenges I love about preaching is figuring out how to communicate in a way that makes sense. Some would argue that all you have to do is get up there, read some Bible and stop. The problem is that if we don't take into consideration who our audience is we could be just flapping at the mouth and facilitating an extended nap time. It's way tougher when you have to study, not only the Bible and it's message to us, but also the people in who you are communicating to. The truth is the truth and that never changes. Yet a lot of times, how we hear the truth determines if it's received well or not.
For instance, I was watching "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" late last night and it was hilarious (albeit crude and profane...maybe I shouldn't have been laughing). But one thing I noticed is that this guy has a really tough time communicating in a way that people will receive what he has to say. Maybe he's learned from experience that being nice doesn't change a restaurant and being a jerk does. Nonetheless, if I was the chef on the show last night, my knives would have been looking very tempting as Ramsay cut into this guy about how his food tasted like *beep* and that he was a *beepin* moron for thinking that his *beep* would actually be considered *beepin* food. On and on he went and the chef (who's food definitely looked like *beep* and he was a young, cocky punk) was just getting angrier and angrier as the tirade went on.
The point is that the truth hurts sometimes but how you communicate it can take the edge off. My bottom line is that I want the gospel to offend (if there is any offending that is going to take place). I don't want my bumbling fool head to do the offending. And that's the challenge I like: communicating the truth in a way that makes sense. It's those "light bulb" moments that I love when God illuminates something and someone says "I finally get it!". If no one's getting it, I might as well throw in the towel. But I think God has been gracious to me so far. I have so much to learn and I won't ever arrive and "The world's best communicator of truth". But I love the journey. I love the challenge. I love the result: life-change.
For instance, I was watching "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" late last night and it was hilarious (albeit crude and profane...maybe I shouldn't have been laughing). But one thing I noticed is that this guy has a really tough time communicating in a way that people will receive what he has to say. Maybe he's learned from experience that being nice doesn't change a restaurant and being a jerk does. Nonetheless, if I was the chef on the show last night, my knives would have been looking very tempting as Ramsay cut into this guy about how his food tasted like *beep* and that he was a *beepin* moron for thinking that his *beep* would actually be considered *beepin* food. On and on he went and the chef (who's food definitely looked like *beep* and he was a young, cocky punk) was just getting angrier and angrier as the tirade went on.
The point is that the truth hurts sometimes but how you communicate it can take the edge off. My bottom line is that I want the gospel to offend (if there is any offending that is going to take place). I don't want my bumbling fool head to do the offending. And that's the challenge I like: communicating the truth in a way that makes sense. It's those "light bulb" moments that I love when God illuminates something and someone says "I finally get it!". If no one's getting it, I might as well throw in the towel. But I think God has been gracious to me so far. I have so much to learn and I won't ever arrive and "The world's best communicator of truth". But I love the journey. I love the challenge. I love the result: life-change.
dear Dan, please just read the scripture. its power is more than the culture to whom its being given to. please don't go the route of some that are more concerned about their audience than the message. i've lived during the tale end of the Jesus movement and with someone whom helped to give it birth. the end result for trying to be relavant to the culture at large is a post modern and emergent church with no balls and no brains. no historical understanding of scripture. no means to find a moral center outside of their own cultural context. so go ahead and read scripture. it sure has a lot more power than anyone's great oratory failings. if you want to be "cutting edge" or "different" for Jesus and really piss people off then read from scripture. then the Holy Spirit convict and burn the conscience. you have a fail safe system. its His work and not yours. otherwise your blogs will all sound the same about "journeying" to find how to reach people. its not so complicate otherwise when scripture is your sole weapon of choice. if not you might as well line up with all the other burnt out pastors in our city who found out they couldn't make a dint on their own no matter what format they chose. have fun using your SWORD!
bear
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:03 PM
Yep but at the same time I think we are in a certain culture in a certain time and I think I would be missing something not to realize that. I think Jesus understood his culture and the time he was in and he spoke in a way that made sense to his listeners. Did he offend? yep. But he offended because they understood exactly what he was saying.
My point is that I don't want to just talk, read some scripture and go home, assuming people will just figure it out. I don't think that's wise. I believe it's my job to understand our culture just as much as it is my job to understand the Word of God and how it applies to our lives, inside of our culture. You should already know by now that I have no problem being blunt and preaching God's Word without holding back. And I also hope that when I've done that, I've made sense!
Posted by
Dan Richardson |
4:26 PM
great response. its just that one blog you are saying that you are reading too much of other books besides the bible and then in another blog you are saying maybe you shouldn't just read the bible and go home. been there and done that with another local church leader. don't want to see it happen again that you are weighing in on being culturally relavant at the cost of being affective for Christ. its all so subtle but but a slippery slope. you might ask yourself then what is next that you are more concerned about rather than the essentials. the Word is the Word. not my opinion. it just is. its sacred and powerful. being afraid that you are not being culturally relavant should be the inverse. let seekers seek the hidden riches of the texts. expose them to the hard Gospel as you already do but dare not go down the slippery slope of compromise. it'll come back to haunt you like a bad addiction and one in which there is no satiating. trust me. seen it happen first hand. just be careful bro and keep kickin major butt for Jesus on Sunday's and never doubt Him nor your affectiveness. its not for you to gauge anyway. Giver!
bear
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:25 PM