Be a creative word artisan of sorts. Keep it simple. A speaker shapes his or her Message by the language, the timing, the tone, the tact, and the methods he or she uses.
Because God is the upbeat Teacher who wants us to pass the test (I mean as in final judgment testing) He has given to us the questions way in advance. Study well, think and respond. Sure, He is so SO inclusive and for you!
The Apostle Paul wanted prayer for the blessing of making the Gospel Message he wanted to get across.. that he desired to tell.. “manifest, as I ought to speak” he said. I like the NKJV best, but the NASB and NIV translations prefer the word clear or clearly. And Mr. F. F. Bruce translated this way: “that I may publish it openly in the words which I ought to speak.” I really like that: open, out in the open, openly.. as in open-air, or in big open hall, or from an open beach, city square, or open park. Why not.. in a non-pushy, condemnatory (new word) or in religious sorta way with religious attitudes. Who needs that? None.
Open. It reminds me of when Jesus spoke from a boat to those on the land. The acoustics were wonderful. there I'm sure. But Paul also understood that it was SO easy to garble the Gospel. Dead Religion often does that. "What?.. so it's faith plus works gets me grace and right with God?" Nope! Plus nothin'! Paul wanted to word the Gospel Message very clearly so people would turn to Jesus, not so much to him. The word he used, phanerow, has the idea of “to make visible” and is from phainw which means “to manifest” or “to light up.” The job of the fisher of humans..the Gospel-teller is to shed light onto the truth of message for application's sake, to make it clear, not to obscure it.
So how important is it to be directed by the Holy Spirit with the Bible to tell the Gospel clearly? Very important. We need to ponder, to muse over, to meditate upon, to pray about, to think about what is really at stake here. Only in the Gospel is there the “power of God to salvation” (Rom 1:16). Jesus Christ is God's only provision for us sinners wanting to address the sin issue. No wonder Paul uttered the term “anathema” for those who twist, who falsely, who misstate what should never be misstated.
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." ~ Ernest Hemingway
Get real from the heart. Tell it in the best way, yes, what's really so.
And it might be so SO old, true, but communicate real fresh, clear, and new.. in a completely unique way that won't mess it up. Do this so that they can't not pay attention to what you're sayin'. You want to plant seeds and reap. Lot's of stuff is helpful to hear these days, but tell em what they need to hear most--the Gospel. In fact, give em all the counsels of God when time allows.
Tell it, what's really true, not partially true mixed with error. What you have to say from the Bible might be considered so SO old--too old. It ain't, but just communicate It fresh, clearly, new.. in a unique way so that they can't not pay attention to what you're sayin'. Lot's of stuff is helpful to hear, but tell em what they need to hear most.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 8:1
"But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.' (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up and join this chariot.' Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, 'Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, 'Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: 'HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.'" Acts 8:26-32
"And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9
"Declare His glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people." Psalms 96:3
"He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:48
"Whereunto he called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Judges 16 - Part 3
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Judges 16
