Gospel Fluency - Week 7
Gospel Fluency • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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- Have you ever attempted to learn a language, and think you had a pretty good handle on things, only to realize how far you still had to go?
- I’ve taken a few short term mission trips to Spanish speaking countries, and each time I would use an app to try to learn a few basic Spanish phrases.
- Some programs, some subscriptions, to help grow in fluency in Spanish.
- I even own a bilingual Bible, in Spanish and English, because of my lofty dreams of someday being able to read it myself for a sermon in another country.
- And these apps do a great job of building your confidence, and making learning a language seem so doable.
- You see a picture of a word, you hear the pronunciation of that word, and you understand it.
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- Biblioteca is library.
- Donde esta la biblioteca?
- I’ve got it!
- I mean, I’m basically preaching in Spanish now!
- But then, you arrive in the culture, and the first person speaks to you.
- And you don’t hear words, you just hear what sounded like one incredibly long jumbled sound.
- Because it’s one thing to be able to read some words (especially if those words are accompanied by pictures).
- And it’s another thing to even speak it (because I can speak clearly and slowly, I can think about and distinguish between each and every individual word).
- But, when it comes to fluency, it is another issue entirely, when you have to listen to someone else speaking.
- To understand where one word ends and another begins.
- (***talk faster***) I mean, if I talk really fast you might lose some of the words that I am saying and it might all sound like nothing but complete and utter gibberish barely even worth listening to.
- True fluency isn’t just about talking.
- True fluency happens when we are able to hearthe words, the phrases, the thoughts, the ideas, the beliefs that are being communicated, and what they really mean.
- To be able to listen to an expression, a figure of speech, and know what they mean by that.
- Chantelle and I were recently reading a parenting book where the author used the example of “punting” your responsibility as a parent.
- And Chantelle said “I understand the idea he’s writing about, but I don’t actually know what a ‘punt’ is.”
- And so I told her, it’s when a football team has only one more down and they don’t think they’re going to make it and so they kick the ball away to the other team to give them possession further down the field.
- And Chantelle looked at me, with incredible love and admiration for me and all of my wisdom and said “Huh? That makes no sense! Why would they do that?”
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- But being able to listen and understand is a key aspect of true fluency.
- The greatest communicators are not just those who can speak really well, but who know how to listen really well.
- Those who seek to grow in understanding.
- And so, in our journey towards Gospel fluency, in our journey to being able to speak the Truth of Jesus in the Love of Jesus into everyday life, we need to understand that one of the most important things we can do to be Gospel fluent (and to become better at Gospel fluency), is to listen.
- And, no matter where each of us are at in this journey, absolutely everyone can stand to get better at listening.
- Because, as we get close to the end of this series (but hopefully not the end of us being a Gospel fluent community of people), if all we remember is that we need to do all of the talking, then we have missed the point.
- Because, when it comes to being Gospel fluent, we are always listening.
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- We are listening upwards and outwards.
- We are listening upwards (to the Holy Spirit), and we are listening outwards (to those around us).
- So let’s first consider listening upwards.
- Jesus says this to His followers:
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- John 14:16-17
o And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
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- Jesus says that one of the purposes of the Holy Spirit in our lives, is to lead us into all truth.
- Jesus emphasizes this just a little while later.
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- John 15:26
o But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
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- The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth
- Jesus wasn’t done, because shortly after this He brings this idea up yet again.
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- John 16:13
o When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.
- Over and over and over again, Jesus is promising the coming of the Holy Spirit, and promises that His Spirit will be Truth, lead us into truth, and guide us into all truth.
- Again, remembering what we said during the very first week of this series, and right before John writes these three times Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit and His connection to Truth, Jesus said this:
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- John 14:6
o Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
- So Jesus is Truth, and the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) leads and guides us into all truth.
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- We listen upwards, so that the Holy Spirit can lead us into the Truth of Jesus.
- We are not on our own in this quest towards Gospel fluency.
- This is not just about us cramming and studying and memorizing all we can for a language exam, hoping that maybe we might remember some of this when it’s all said and done.
- The Holy Spirit is at work, speaking, leading, and guiding us.
- The Holy Spirit is moving us closer and closer to the Truth of Jesus.
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- The Holy Spirit is softening our hearts, opening our eyes and ears, to be able to see the Truth of Jesus in the everyday stuff of life.
- You see, we’ve continually talked for the last month and a half, about speaking the Truth of Jesus into everyday life.
- But here’s the incredible thing if you haven’t already realized this:
- When we speak the Truth of Jesus into everyday life, what we are speaking about is the Truth that is already there.
- We don’t have to initiate the Truth.
- We don’t have to fabricate it, invent it, force it.
- Jesus’ Truth is all over.
- Those who are made in the image of God (which is all of us and everyone we’ve ever met) have the Truth of Jesus imprinted on their hearts and all around their lives.
- We just want to notice it, speak it, and help them notice it as well.
- And so we need to be listening to God’s Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth – as He leads and guides us to be able to see and hear and experience the Truth of Jesus (that is already present) in real, day-to-day life, and then point it out to others as we are able.
- We have to be listening upwards.
- Think about it this way:
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- Praying (when done correctly) is both talking and listening.
- When we pray, do we do all of the talking?
- Do we think knowing how to pray is all about knowing how to talk to God? Or does it include knowing how to listen to God as well?
- Next year, in our 2025 year of prayer, we will spend time not only learning how to get better at talking to God, we will also spend time learning how to get better at listening to God.
- Because oftentimes, the best thing we can do, is to listen.
- And so, as we think about listening upwards, I want us to pause and spend a moment listening to God – through the power of His Holy Spirit – as we take communion together.
- That we take a moment, to quiet our hearts, to open our ears, and to pay attention to what He is saying to us right now at this moment.
- Communion is a powerful time to remember Jesus.
- But Jesus didn’t leave us to remember Him on our own.
- He sent us an Advocate.
- He sent us a Helper.
- He sent us His Spirit.
- And so, all followers of Jesus are invited to take communion, to remember the broken body and shed blood – the new covenant that forgives sins.
- And, as we prepare to do that together in just a minute, let us just pause and listen, as the Spirit of Truth draws us closer to the Truth of Jesus, even through this act of remembrance.
- ***Pause, then take communion
- And so that is listening upwards, but that’s not all of the listening that we need to do.
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- And so we need to think about listening outwards.
- Are we listening to others around us?
- Is our natural posture one that needs to talk all of the time?
- Or, are we more inclined to seek to listen, hear, and understand what others are saying?
- Whether they believe what we believe or not, whether they agree with the faith we have or not.
- The Gospel is not just Good News for those who already follow Jesus. It is Good News for everyone.
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- And we need to be listening outwards, because it helps us better know how the Gospel might be Good News for the person we are with at any given moment (and the situation that they are going through).
- However, for those of us who have been in the church world for a while, maybe somewhere along the way we were told about the “one best way” to share our faith.
- The script to follow, the right way to tell someone else about Jesus.
- But the problem with that, is that when we have a specific script that we need to get through, then when others are talking, we aren’t really listening to what the person says.
- Rather, we are just trying to remember the next point that we need to make.
- This happens often in conversations no matter the topic.
- We’ve all had moments, where we (or maybe someone we are talking to) is already starting to think about the next thing they have to say, and so they aren’t really listening to what is being said, they are just waiting for a moment of silence to jump in with their next point.
- But we don’t like it when people fail to listen to us, and so why would someone be interested in hearing about our Good News when we are clearly not that interested in really listening to them?
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- Proverbs 20:5
o Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.
- It takes wisdom and understanding to draw out the deep waters of a person’s heart.
- It takes wisdom to get below the surface and get to the root of what someone is really going through and how we might be able to speak the Good News message of the Gospel in a way that would speak into their real, everyday life.
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- Maybe the best way to do that is by asking questions.
- Asking lots of questions and listening to their answers.
- Learning (practicing, failing, trying again) how to ask the right questions and making lots of space to listen – to really listen – to the answers (whether we agree with them or not).
- One of the greatest gifts we can give to the people around us is often to close our mouths and open our ears.
- To spend more time listening than talking.
- We need to care more about winning people to Jesus rather than winning an argument or debate.
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- Francis Schaeffer once said “If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first fifty-five minutes asking them questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind, and then in the last five minutes I will share something of the truth.”
- We might find that when we take the time to really listen, and to really ask good questions, then people will pour out their longings, pains, disappointments, and stories.
- And as people do that, we become increasingly aware of how we can speak the Gospel in real ways that really sounds like Good News to what they are currently facing and feeling (because we’ll actually know what they are facing and what they are feeling about what they are facing).
- The person that we have taken the time to really listen to (and then we take a few minutes to share one Gospel Truth we think would be relevant to what they’ve shared), they should understand how what we are sharing could be Good News for them (not just why we believe it’s Good News for us).
- The way of the cross might sound like foolishness to someone who isn’t following Jesus (it might sound too hard to believe). But it should never sound like bad news.
- It should sound more like it’s too good to be true.
- This idea of listening more than speaking is also something that Jesus did.
- John writes about a time when Jesus intentionally engages a Samaritan woman.
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- John 4:7
o Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”
- Jesus speaks first, which was shocking.
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- John 4:9-10
o The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
o Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
- And so Jesus has this woman’s attention, and as you read John’s record of this interaction (that Jesus told him about afterwards), you can see that Jesus makes short statements, asks questions, and allows this woman to take steps towards Him.
- She asks where He would get this water when He doesn’t have any tools or equipment to get anything from the well.
- Jesus adds to the confusion by saying that the water He has to offer will quench thirst once and for all – once you’ve had the living water He offers, you will never thirst again.
- And this woman, who still must be confused by all of this, at least knows that this sounds like good news.
- So she asks for some of the living water.
- Jesus tells her to go get her husband.
- She says she doesn’t have a husband.
- And then Jesus very quickly and briefly speaks to her past (what was likely a painful and tragic past for this woman – not a statement on her sinfulness like many misinterpret, but a statement of her brokenness).
- And now she realizes that she is in the presence of a prophet.
- So she starts asking theological questions.
- She brings up issues that divided the Jews and the Samaritans.
- But Jesus isn’t interested in furthering along debates that divide children of God who have all been made in His image.
- And all of this ends with Jesus saying something bluntly, clearly, and openly in a way that He didn’t often do (and, as far as we know, hadn’t done at all up to this point).
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- John 4:25-26
o The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
o Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
- And then, after this whole incredible conversation is over (and we are really flying through it this morning, I’d encourage you to take the time to slow down and read the entire story sometime this week), but after the conversation is over, this is what we’re told about this woman.
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- John 4:28-30
o The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
- Let’s notice, that Jesus doesn’t need to give her a great commission to go out and share about Him.
- She just goes and does it.
- Because that’s what you do with Good News.
- You share it.
- She doesn’t know about the cross and the empty tomb (because they haven’t happened yet). She just knows that something both confusing and amazing has happened, and Jesus is someone she wants everyone else to meet as well.
- And this is just one example.
- Read through Jesus’ life as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- All throughout the Gospels, Jesus asks questions.
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- All throughout the Gospels, Jesus is asked questions, and He answers by asking questions of His own.
- Sometimes it’s really easy to judge and condemn and look down on someone who is doing something we disagree with.
- But maybe if we listened, maybe if we got to know their story, our hearts might soften.
- We may understand more about the brokenness and pain in their lives, and even if we still don’t agree with what they are doing, we might understand them and their heart a little bit better.
- We might be able to see them with a more complete understanding, filled with both grace and truth (speaking the Truth of Jesus, in the Love of Jesus).
- Listening (not only upwards, but also outwards) will allow us to share the Gospel in meaningful ways that actually matter in the everyday stuff of life.
- Because then we’ll know what sorts of everyday stuff of life we should be speaking into.
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- So, how can we become better Gospel fluent listeners?
- How do listening upwards and listening outwards work together to help us grow in Gospel fluency?
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- First of all, being better at listening requires that we ask the Holy Spirit to help us (after all, the Holy Spirit is often referred to as the Helper).
- “Holy Spirit, help me slow down”
- “Holy Spirit, help me trust that You are working here right now”
- “Holy Spirit, help me to listen well – to them and to You”
- Last week we talked about sharing our story (using the Gospel story to share our story).
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- But it’s also important to listen to the stories of others.
- It’s important to listen with an ear that can hear and discern what is the dominant story that they are listening to?
- What are they putting all of their hope, faith, and trust into?
- Everyone is believing in something.
- Everyone is listening to something (or someone).
- If we can understand who they are believing is the hero of their story, we may be better able to share the true Hero Jesus with them.
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- Here’s an idea how to do this, if we go back to the Gospel story outline that we have looked at a few times throughout this series.
- Just like we looked at how we can use this as a template to share the Gospel story, as well as our own story, we can also consider each of these headings as things we should be listening carefully to.
- So, as someone is sharing with us, whether they believe in Jesus or not, we are listening and asking questions.
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- Creation: In what do they find their identity or sense of purpose and significance?
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- Fall: Who or what is the fundamental problem they blame for the things that are broken in their lives?
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- Redemption: To who or what are they looking to as their saviour to rescue or deliver them?
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- New Creation: What does transformation look like and what is their ultimate hope for the future?
- I’ll share an example that came to mind as I was preparing for our morning together.
- So, years ago, I had the opportunity to walk someone through a difficult road, as they were separating from their long-term partner, the mother of his kids.
- And, as I tried to make space to just ask questions “How are you doing?” “How can I help?” “What’s going on?”
- Just listening and asking questions, and prayerfully considering how I can speak Good News into this situation.
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- And so, as I listened, I began to see that he was looking to relationships for identity (his partner, his kids). This was the loudest, dominant story of his life.
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- However, as all people (myself included) do, they failed.
- And so there was fighting, tension, and disagreement.
- And, maybe because this was where he was trying to find his identity, these issues were devastating, and resulted in their separation.
- And, as I tried to draw things out, ask questions and listen more than I spoke and offered advice, I got the sense that he was trying to find a solution to his problem.
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- A new relationship that won’t let him down like the past one had.
- A new partner who he would look to, to give him all the things the last one hadn’t.
- And I’m listening, and I’m praying, and I’m thinking to myself (and looking for my 5 minutes to share), that he may want to find that in a new relationship with someone else, but what he really needs is the One who will never let Him down.
- He is longing for and hoping for a new relationship that won’t wind up in the same broken and painful place, and I am hoping for the exact same thing for him.
- Not that he will find a new partner, or get a new family, or even that his ultimate hope would be in reconciling and reuniting with his old one (although I do believe God is a big fan of reconciliation).
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- But I believe that he might be able to find his ultimate longing and hope fulfilled in someone who would love and accept him, no matter how often he falls short and fails to live up to even his own demands of himself.
- He needs to know the One who will say “this is my son, with him I am well-pleased.”
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- But no matter what it is, or whether we even have answers (and we won’t always, and we don’t have to pretend to have answers), we need to listen to the people God has put into our lives, and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
- Then we will be one step closer in knowing how to speak the Truth of Jesus into their everyday life.
- When we make space for others, when we really do care and they know that we care, we may find that they are eager to open up more and share more honestly with us.
- This isn’t because of our great technique, but because the Holy Spirit goes ahead of us, and as we depend on Him, He grows the fruit of His Spirit in our lives, and the people around us can sense that something is different about us.
- It is startling how many well-intentioned Christians, when they get a chance to speak, overwhelm others with a barrage of words.
- We go on and on about what we believe, and what the person we’re talking to needs to believe, assuming we know what is best for them.
- But maybe it’s true sometimes (or many times) that we are giving answers to questions that people aren’t even asking.
- And so, when we speak, when we offer Jesus as the Answer, let’s make sure we’re actually addressing something they actually care about being answered.
- And so, this week, as we consider listening for 55 minutes and speaking for 5, we need to not only ask “how can I share Good News?”
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- But we also need to ask “how can I show Good News?”
- After we’ve listened to someone’s story, we should not only be able to tell people about what God has done, but we should also be able to show them what God has done by how we live our lives (and with how they see us responding to their lives and their stories).
- Everyday, as the Gospel makes a difference in the everyday stuff of our own lives, we are showing the world that Jesus is alive.
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- Our lives should demand a Gospel explanation.
- The ways that we love and serve and talk and act (and listen), should be so noticeably different that it causes people to say “I know something’s different about you. What is it?”
- Does the way that we live REQUIRE the Gospel in order to make sense?
- Or, do our lives look similar to others and could they be explained in many different ways?
- Our lives should be Gospel metaphors. A picture of the Truth and Love of Jesus.
- Jesus is our Advocate, Sacrifice, Healer, Forgiver, Counsellor, Restorer, Redeemer (and so much more).
- What are ways that we could be these things for other people?
- Think about what could happen when we listen to someone’s story who we don’t see eye to eye with.
- What could happen if we got to know them?
- What might happen if our hearts were softened for them and what they’ve been through?
- Then, when someone else was venting about how frustrating that person is, we might feel inclined to stand up for them.
- And when asked why, we could share how it’s a perfect picture of what Jesus is doing for us.
- He stands in the gap even though I am filled with brokenness, pain, and sin.
- He stands up for me even though my actions don’t deserve it.
- And He calls me to do the same.
- We can live in a way that demands a Gospel explanation, a Gospel metaphor of a life.
- We could help a neighbour repair their broken fence (restorer).
- We could help pay off the debts of someone who can’t do it on their own (forgiver)
- So perhaps for some of us, this week, to be Gospel fluent requires that first we begin to listen a little more to those around us and speak a little less.
- And then, we live sacrificial, serving lives that speak to the real needs of real people who we have really listened to (things are often best communicated through actions AND words, rather than just words alone).
- And then, when they (or someone else) asks us “why are you doing this? Why are you like that? Why are you living this way?” then we have the opportunity to share the Truth of Jesus in the Love of Jesus into the everyday stuff of everyday life.
- And so this week, let us spend 55 minutes of an hour with someone, asking good questions and really listening to what they have to say.
- Then, let’s spend 5 looking for one way to speak the Truth of Jesus into what they’ve just shared with us.
- We may just find, that listening a little more is the key to becoming fluent in the Good News message of Jesus.
- Close in prayer
- (*) Now What?
- Benediction: “A Prayer to Help Us Listen to God’s Voice”
o Forgive me for letting the noise of this world drown out your voice. I’ve felt distant from you, and I long to draw near to my Heavenly Father once again. I know you are here with me now as I pray. Help me sense your loving presence and listen as you speak.
o In the busyness of daily life, I sometimes forget to stay connected to you through prayer. Help me align my heart with yours. I choose to find moments throughout my day to spend with you, listening to what you have to say. Help me tune into your voice above all else. Thank you for the peace that comes when I take the time to really listen. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Scripture:
- John 14:1-31
- John 15:26-27
- John 16:5-15
- Proverbs 20:5
- John 4:1-42
Prayer:
- Pray that God would help you become a better listener. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you listen both upwards and outwards each and every day.
- Pray for wisdom and discernment as you listen to the stories of others. Pray that God would give you ears to hear what voice they are listening to and what "dominant story" they are putting their trust in. Pray for God to give you the words to say as you speak Good News into the everyday stuff of life they have shared with you.
Discussion/Reflection:
- How good (or bad) of a listener are you? In your day-to-day life, do you tend to do more talking or more listening? Share a story that demonstrates this.
- How do you react when it feels like someone isn’t really listening to you? Maybe they are trying to make their next point, or maybe they always need to jump in with a better story, but how do you feeling about being around someone like this? Have you ever been the person who isn’t really listening to someone else?
- What are some ways that Christians could become better listeners? Do you believe that being better at listening might open more doors to sharing the Gospel? Why or why not?
- Praying is both talking and listening. When you pray, are you in the habit of listening to God? Why or why not?
Now What Next Step:
- This week, spend at least one hour with someone else (visit over lunch, go out for coffee, go for a walk, invite over to play games, etc).
- During your time together, try to get to know this person better by asking them questions. Do more listening than talking during your time together, following up questions with more follow-up questions. Try to spend 55 minutes (or more) of your time listening and seeking to understand them better as a person.
- As you listen, pay attention to what “story” they are putting their belief into, and prayerfully consider how you might give a short encouragement (5 minutes or less) that would point them towards Jesus. Think about the ideas of “Creation”, “Fall”, “Redemption”, and “New Creation” and look for ways that Jesus could be Good News to something they are talking about.
