Deeper levels of communication

Philippians 1:8 (NLT)

God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 

Charles Swindoll wrote a book called “Laugh Again—Experience Outrageous Joy” that focuses on the teaching from the book of Philippians.  He references another book entitled “Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?” authored by John Powell that describes five levels of human communication:

1.   Cliché—e.g. “How are you?” “I’m fine”.  Cliché communication is the outer circle of superficiality, yet is how most communication occurs in church on Sunday mornings.

2.   Report the facts about others—typically the realm of gossip and petty, meaningless little tales about others.  Nothing personal and self-revelatory about these facts, simply reporting them.

3.   Ideas and judgments—Most people are able to communicate at this level, but also most are unwilling.  If you begin to communicate ideas, judgments and decisions and others raise eyebrows, narrow eyes, yawn, look around, etc., you will quickly stop communicating at this level and certainly not any deeper.  We all have experienced this.

4.   Feelings—sharing who you really are and what you really believe.  Most marriages fail to reach this level, much less ordinary communications between Christian friends and other acquaintances.

5.   Intimacy—absolute openness and honesty. 

Paul is referring to the fifth level of human communication.  In verse 7 he stated that others have a special place in his heart because they share with him the special favor of God.  As Christians we all share the special favor of God, yet how many of us go beyond even the first level of communication?  Fellowship in the church is often described not as fellowship but as “helloship”.  This has always bothered me, especially with folks who, no matter how many questions you ask about their lives, they never reciprocate, and, therefore, the level of communication remains low.  Yet, I’m sure that I’ve been guilty of the same problem over the years when others have tried to deepen their communications with me.  We all can improve in the quality and depth of communication. 

What can you do to be practicing more of the depth of communication that Paul describes here and practiced himself?  Who do you know with whom you could deepen the level of communication at least to a level three?  Who might be wanting to develop a deeper level of communication with you, yet you know that you have been guilty of superficiality?  Who in your life fits the description that Paul gives above that God knows how much you love that person(s) and long to deepen that relationship and level of communication?  

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few

Matthew 9:36-38 (NASB)

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

When you think of Jesus what descriptions come to mind immediately?  Love?  Mercy?  Compassion?  I am reminded of a very beautiful segment of the old (1961) movie “King of Kings” where Jesus is performing all kinds of healing miracles.  In one scene a blind man who is using a stick along a wall to guide him comes into the shadow of Jesus. The camera shows his eyes without color, then as the beautiful theme music (by Miklos Rozsa, composer also of the music for “Ben Hur”) becomes louder, you see the blind man’s eyes turn to a deep blue and he can see again.  Then the camera turns to Jesus’ face and you see a face filled with love, mercy, and compassion.  That’s the image I love to think about when I think of the person of Jesus.  And it is that image that is portrayed in these verses from Matthew. 

Jesus saw the crowd, the multitudes of people and was moved with compassion. The Greek word translated as “compassion” here and in eleven other verses in the gospels (or some translations use the phrase “felt sorry for”) means literally “to be moved as to one’s bowels”.  That does not seem right, but bowels are all our inward parts and Scripturally bowels mean the same as heart.  As someone once said, it would not be right to say to someone, “I love you with all my bowels (!)”, but again, in Scripture, bowels are the same as the heart.  Jesus was moved to the deepest part of His being, as bowels and heart represent. 

Jesus saw everything that was wrong with every single person---every physical deformity, every hurt, every worry, every need.  Deep within His heart, yes, His bowels, He felt compassion for all these distressed and dispirited people.  Other translations use words like harassed, helpless, weary, scattered, troubled, confused, hurting, and worried to describe these people following Jesus.  Jesus feels everything you feel, both the physical and the spiritual.  The Bible is clear that Jesus cares for you and wants to help you if you will put your trust in Him (Mark 5:19, John 11:33-38, I Peter 5:7). 

When Jesus looked at all these people and both felt and knew all their needs, He then told His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  That seems like an odd response to the compassion He felt.  Yet, the harvest represents the souls of those who do not know Jesus personally as Savior and Lord but are ready to receive Him just like a ripe crop is ready for reaping.  The Greek word for harvest means “the gathering of men into the kingdom of God”. 

Yes, the harvest is always plentiful, there are always many people ready to receive the Lord into their lives to help them deal with all their needs, but who is willing and available to work?  Who is willing and available to work for Jesus who sends His followers to bring people to Him?  Are you a worker for Jesus?  Are you helping the hurting people within the sphere of your life understand how they can find the Lord who will give them what they need to deal with their hurts?  Most people will not admit their hurts, but they are there, you must be assured that they are there.   

All the physical hurts and all the needs that all these people had can only be resolved by coming to Christ and letting all His love and strength and peace enter their lives.  Another image in my mind as I think about this passage and what Jesus saw in the multitudes are the words of the Steve Green recording “People Need the Lord”---“Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes.  Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where?  On they go through private pain, living fear to fear.  Laughter hides their silent cries, only Jesus hears.  People need the Lord, people need the Lord. At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.  We are called to take His light to a world where wrong seems right.  What could be too great a cost for sharing life with one who's lost?  Through His love our hearts can feel all the grief they bear.  They must hear the Words of Life only we can share.  People need the Lord, people need the Lord at the end of broken dreams, He's the open door. When will we realize that we must give our lives, for people need the Lord.  People need the Lord.”  Amen.

What the Holy Spirit does

I Corinthians 2:10-14 (NASB)

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

New Christians, even those who have been saved for awhile, have a difficult time understanding who the Holy Spirit is and what does He do.  This passage describes what the Holy Spirit does. 

§  Reveals the truths of God heretofore hidden.  In I Cor 2:9, Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4 that tells us that these truths of God have not been revealed before.  It is only through the Holy Spirit planted in your heart, your innermost being, that you can learn truths about God that otherwise you would never know and understand

§  Searches all things, even the depths of God.  The Holy Spirit is God so of course He knows everything about God.  Only through the Holy Spirit can you have any idea of the depths of God.  There is nothing about God that the Holy Spirit does not know. 

§  Knows the thoughts of God.  The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God because, again, the Holy Spirit is God. 

§  Enable you to know all the things God has given you.  See an explanation below. 

§  Teaches you everything about God that you cannot understand on your own.  How is it that a believer and unbeliever listen to the same sermon, yet the unbeliever walks out not being touched at all.  It is the Holy Spirit in the heart of a believer that teaches the believer to know the meaning of the gospel and the meaning of what the Bible is all about.  The unbeliever and believer hear the same words, but the unbeliever is not affected by those words while the believer is deeply touched because of the teaching of the Holy Spirit.   

I was introduced to this passage by Pastor Adrian Rogers who told a great story to illustrate the meaning v. 12, “…….that we may know the things freely given to us by God”.  The story goes like this: Suppose you have a son and I come to your house to ask you if you will give me your son to take away with me.  Furthermore, after taking your son away from you, I am going to mistreat him and eventually kill him.  Now, of course, you would never agree to do this, would you?  However, let’s say for the sake of this story that you do agree.  Then, after taking your son, I come back to you and ask you for all his belongings----his clothes, toys, other possessions.  Now, since you have given me your son, won’t you also give me everything else that is his?

So, since God gave His only begotten Son to live on earth and to suffer and die for all of our sins, won’t God also freely give us everything else belonging to the Son?  What are these things freely given to us by God?  The list is endless as it includes everything about the nature and character of Jesus Christ; for example, showing mercy, being compassionate, having the ability to forgive, willingness to help others, putting others first, knowing all right from all wrong, the desire to spend time with God, concern for the salvation of others, the ability to love unconditionally and sacrificially, and having the mind of Christ that Paul writes later in I Cor 2:18. 

Why do some people not believe in the gospel message even if they have heard it preached many times?  Why are some people even resistant to the gospel message (foolishness to them)?  Why are you saved in Christ whereas your spouse or close family member or best friend is not (or are you the one who is not saved)?  This is a very perplexing theological question without a convincing answer other than God knows who will be responsive and who will not be responsive to the calling of Christ of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Father of lies

John 8:44 (NLT)

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Anyone who thinks that Jesus was a wimp during His time on earth needs to be reminded of this verse.  Jesus was being confronted by Jewish leaders who not only did not believe Jesus’ words but also were out to kill Him (8:37, 40).  Rather than back down to these threats, Jesus became even more confrontational and uttered these words.

Can anyone be more condemning that telling someone that he is a child of the devil?  Can you imagine the ire raised within and amongst Jewish listeners as they hear Jesus talk to them this way?  Think how you would feel if anyone, much less the Savior of the world, talked to you like this.  Of course, anyone reading these words are or will be children of God, not of the devil, but imagine how these words penetrated and infuriated the hearts and minds of those to whom these words were directed. 

Jesus described who the devil is.  He is a murderer (Greek word means “manslayer”) and a liar.  The word Jesus used for liar is “pseustes”, meaning a false and faithless man.  This is the first and only time in Scripture that the devil is described this way.  Jesus said that the devil was a murderer from the beginning.  What beginning?  The beginning of the lives of Adam and Eve where in Genesis 3:1-7 the devil in the form of a serpent deceived Eve by overtly contraindicating what God had told Eve.  In Genesis 3:3 Eve repeated what God had told her, that she should not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—Gen 2:9) or she would die.  Yet the serpent replied in Gen 3:4, “You surely shall not die”.  Such  blatant antagonism and hostility the serpent showed against God’s instructions to Eve, yet his words produced doubt in her and subsequent loss of faith and disobedience in her actions.  Such actions produced death of all mankind (Gen 3:19) for her and Adam’s sin against God caused by the devil’s lies. 

The devil has been murdering and lying to people ever since.  Could it not be argued that the devil is the fundamental reason for all the killing and all the lying ever perpetrated upon the earth? 

Jesus’ words about the devil always hating the truth, there is no truth in him, and his character is one of lying shows how he is completely and totally opposite of Jesus.  What did Jesus say about Himself? 

·  “I am the truth” (John 14:6). 

·  “I speak the truth” (John 8:45).

·  “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

If you ever wonder why there is so much violence, crime, hatred, and evil in this world, think about what Jesus said about the devil in John 8:44.  And anytime you get away from the truth of Scripture and start listening to what people say not supported by Scripture, you are being deceived. Lying and murder are the two main characteristics of the devil, the personification of all evil in this world.