Communicating With Our Church: Part 3

As we move on with our current post-series, we turn our focus to Our Research. 1 John 1:7 teaches us that we must walk in the light “…as He is in the light…” If we’re going to communicate effectively, we should seek to communicate as Christ did.

And that’s going to take some Biblical research.

Let’s go back to my example of Elders meeting from my last post. As well as praying for our church, we also have in-depth discussions about the spiritual health of our church.

“Where does God want us to focus our teaching on Sunday mornings? What vision is God calling us to, for the future of our church?”

What if our Elders just flipped through a Bible and randomly stuck a finger on a verse? From that verse we established our teaching plan or vision for our church. Would Christ take that approach? Would He be pleased with that effort?

Of course not!

I am certain that Christ takes the teaching and vision of the church very seriously. Therefore, we should make a serious effort into the discussion and planning of teaching and vision for our church.

How Have We Researched?

But what about the typical conversations of church life, like planning for ministries or discussing a business item at a congregational meeting? Should we shoot from the hip or should we be researching before we speak?

How can we walk into those conversations in the light, as Jesus is in the light?

WWJD

I was a teenager in the ‘90’s, right about the time the saying, “WWJD, What would Jesus do?” came out. It seemed like every kid in youth group was wearing at least one WWJD bracelet.

The idea was that the bracelet would be a reminder to act like Jesus. Before making a decision, the wearer could ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation?”

Now I’m not saying we need to go out and buy WWJD bracelets, but the idea behind the bracelet is reflected in 1 John 1:7.

Before we meet with other ministry workers, before that next congregational meeting, before that conversation with a brother or sister in Christ, we’d do well to open our Bibles and ask,

“What would Jesus say? Jesus, I want to walk in light as Your are in the Light, I want to go into this conversation in light as your are in the light, show me what to say and if needs be, what not to say.”

This principle can apply to every area of communication within our church. Putting the work in before we communicate will always pay off. Seeking the light of Him can help us communicate in light to each other.

A Word On Media

Communication in Jesus’ day was not as diverse as we have today.

In the Western World, almost every member of every church can read and write. Moreover, the advances in technology have provided far more options and availability to pass information from one person to another.

Many churches, have benefited from using these advances in communications. For example, I’ve communicated with numerous members of my congregation this week through phone, text, email and social media. These weren’t an option in Jesus’ day.

But there’s a dark side.

There’s a dark side to living in a world that’s moving away from face-to-face communication. That’s why we should always remember…

“WWJT, What would Jesus Tweet?”

In all seriousness, Jesus (through the church) can definitely use text, email and social media. But so can Satan. In our busy lives, it’s far too easy to fall into the trap and start typing a message that we know in our hearts should be a face-to-face conversation.

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve fallen into this trap too many times. And the work to repair the relationships after the fact, has been far worse than the initial dialogue ever would have been.

Moving Forward

In our church, we must make a commitment to each other, to be brave with our conversations.

When difficult discussions need to take place, the immediate approach should be to seek insight for the Bible, then speak to the person directly and not through a device. It might cost you the price of a couple of coffees, but it’ll be so worth it in the end.

Can I Get Your Feedback?

How would Jesus speak in a small group? What about in a congregational meeting? How would He deal with difficult conversations?