Keep it Simple – Language

Greetings Dear Reader,

My pastor told a story once about a person who visited our church.  He approached the pastor after the service and stated that our church was guilty of false advertising.  Confused our pastor asked him to explain.  He went on to indicate that we were said to be an “Evangelical Free” church but our church was filled with Evangelicals.

I am unsure how our pastor kept from cracking up but he took away a very important lesson from the conversation.  You see, our church denomination is the Evangelical Free Church of America.  The “Free” in the name denotes an important part of our history and in no way is a claim to be free of Evangelicals.  The individual questioning had read it as if it were saying that our church was “fat free” or “sugar free.”

The important lesson in this is that the name no longer communicates to the culture in our city.  As a Christ follower I must be aware of how I communicate clearly.  While it is true that every man needs to keep that divine appointment to encounter and actualize the redemptive power of the Messianic atonement, this hardly communicates a clear gospel.  The words are absolute truth but they are not what communicate to our culture. 

I must speak plainly when I speak about Christ.  I must speak with humility and confidence.  I must be sure that I understand my audience and that I have earned the right to be heard through my life and actions.  The gospel is simple and I must be sure that I represent is clearly in simple language. 

Even if I must use terms that are unpopular I must speak the truth.  I must be kind and accept the failures of Christ followers with a contriteness that reflects my understanding of the things that others see in our failures.  I must not judge others or condemn them.  What I say matters so much that Jesus said that we would give account for “every idle word” we speak. 

If I hope to keep the gospel simple then I must assure that my language reflects that simplicity and communicates well. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."