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John 7: 46 (NIV)
“No one ever spoke the
way this man does,” the guards declared.
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| It’s not erudition or education that matters, but availability. Anyone with the capacity to communicate – through writing, art, music, or in person – can offer words as a gift for God to use as he might like.* |
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When
I was campaigning for election to public office, I observed that people respond
differently to me than they do to others. Case in point: when I asked people to
sign one of my petition cards – even people I knew – they looked at it like I
was handing them something nasty. When a friend offered to help me, I saw that when he handed my cards to people, they took
them from him gladly before they even knew what he was asking of them.
I
don’t know what vibes I give off in such situations, but you can understand why
I am stirred by this statement from the temple guards. They had failed in their
mission to seize Jesus on behalf of the chief priests and Pharisees because
they were so impressed with what he said and how he said it. Surely I could be
an effective witness for Jesus if I could inspire such awe in my listeners!
Except
that’s not how it works. Not even for Jesus. For awhile, he was the darling of
the masses. He could have been on the cover of People more often than the Kardashians. Jesus knew his fans would
soon be turning on him but until then, no one ever spoke the way he did.
Pray
that your audience would hear Jesus instead of you – then your lack of
eloquence will not be an issue. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through
us, we aren’t responsible for the response – or the lack of one. We can expect
rejection because Jesus said we would – and he experienced it, too. By the end
of his ministry, even his closest friends had turned their backs on him – and
yet, eventually, he was able to use them to change the world.
Which
would you rather be: eloquent or a world-changer?
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| Never rely on the clearness of your presentation, but as you give your explanation make sure that you are relying on the Holy Spirit.* |
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