Communication

Phm 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

One of the most important areas of our faith lies in communication. Faith is not about words being spoken but effective life giving communication of what one believes. Jesus said; Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which

are sanctified by faith that is in me. This is effective communication of our faith.

It seems that one can have faith in many things but Jesus is quite clear about having faith in Him. It is in communicating this faith of the gospel of Jesus that countless lives are being won for Jesus and at the same time, precious lives are lost out of martyrdom. Others are going through hardship and persecution because of communicating their faith. Yet, effective communication requires much sacrifice and giving.

I believe in testimonies. They are a very effective way of communicating our faith in Jesus. People want to know how Jesus has made a difference in your own life first before considering its relevance for them. The Bible reminds us that the most effective way of defeating the evil one is by confessing our testimony of Jesus and our faith in His sacrifice in blood. Secondly, we become effective when we are righteous before God and pray and then the prayer of a righteous person avails much. The key is in being effective.

I have seen people try very hard to exercise their faith only to fall flat on their face. It is like a little child taking its first steps. It seems that when the child perseveres, it pays off and the child begins to walk. We also see that in addition to the inbuilt desire of the child to exercise its birthright and yet untapped capability to walk, it is often aided by adults and bits of furniture. This desire and help makes the child effective in what it is attempting to do until it conquers walking. Likewise, faith must be exercised and aided. The word, prayer, and good people who surround you are key elements to help you in your spiritual journey. It is only then that one's faith becomes effective.

Communication goes further in a person's life to become effective when they share their strengths and weaknesses. This too helps others understand faith in Jesus. It is obvious that as Christians we can be weak and make mistakes and even sin. Our faith helps us understand these areas because of what the word of God says in the Bible about us and our failures and weaknesses. When we effectively communicate these areas of our lives to others, they will not see us as super human beings but a people saved by grace. This makes others more ready to accept this faith in Jesus who was made perfect for us and stands as an Advocate with God to redeem us when we fall and repent.

Those do not communicate their faith live miserable lives. Rejected people never communicate their true inner feelings and fail to get their release because they fear rejection. Those who are fearful, let years go by before they will do or say anything that makes them stronger. The weak stay weak because they never exercise their faith. It is incumbent (current) on us to be effective at every level of our faith and not to relax because we have achieved a little by our faith.

Then, there are those who go overboard with their faith and make it a stronghold in their lives by becoming legalistic and particular to the point where not only do they spoil it for others but also what they do works in opposite to effectiveness and actually ends up being destructive.

Communication requires the effective use of speech, writing, giving, and presence of a person. One can be an effective communicator just by their presence. Jesus communicated grace just by His presence. He communicated power when the woman with the issue of blood touched His garment and received healing. The temple hirelings who came to capture Him in the garden of Gethsemane fell down in His presence without Him touching them. God communicated His word by writing the Bible that continues to give life. God gave His only begotten Son and communicated His love to us. Finally, God spoke His word and made the worlds by His speech and said; Isa_55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The power of effective communication is the key to any advancement in life. The world uses effective communication tools such as television and other visual and written material to communicate their products. This entices us to buy them. The Church has in many ways tried to emulate this as an effective tool to bring about Church growth and to spread the gospel. However, it is quite clear that Jesus never did any such thing. He imparted to twelve disciples true faith and the power of the Holy Ghost and they in turn maximised their faith by effectively spreading it at a great cost to their own lives. Unless we are prepared to be communicators of our faith in Jesus of every good thing that He has done for us, the devil would have successfully shut up our testimony He is only scared of testimonies because they communicate to the hearer what is possible through God.

Communication must always be precise and clear. Gossip and the like is never good communication though it is effective in an evil sense. One must watch against all such communication. One must never offer it or be hearers of it. In both cases, it defiles the speaker and the hearer and the devil uses it to spread rumours and other faith defiling elements.

I am longing for the day when I can continually hear and do what Jesus says and see and do what He does, just like what He did when He was on the earth. To me, that is effective communication. It speaks volumes to me because it eliminates the need for my imaginations or conjuring up of words through articulation and actions that do not carry the weight of Christ in me. The flesh has to be left out in effective communication and old ways have to die. Many have lost out in prayer because they do not listen. Listening is the reward of effective communication. Praying is the reward of relationship.

By giving me the honour of praying, I am able to communicate with my God. He has several ways of communicating effectively and we need to be listening. God communicates through His audible voice, His quite inner voice that prompts us, His word that speaks, dreams and visions that He gives us and by prophecy that He sends through His prophets and other vessels such as angels, instances, circumstances and other novel ways of letting us know He is telling us something. One woman was desperately asking God what she was called for. Since she had a lot of prophesy on her life that she was called to be a prophetess she needed a confirmation from God. One day on the highway as she was driving and seeking God about this, at that very moment of her desperation, a sports car overtook her and pulled into her lane in front of her. It had the number plate ELIJAH on it. God had spoken. She never looked back from that moment in her life and she now travels the country as an effective prophetess.

When people do not communicate effectively and are slow in their communication by not returning calls or delaying replies for no reason at all, they create a chasm that cannot be easily crossed. I find it particularly frustrating talking to people who do not share what is really on their heart. God said that it was a very abominable thing as far as He was concerned and said; Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

In all earnestness, we must become more effective in our communication of the faith we carry within us. If we do not speak or act out our faith, no one will know who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It is my joy to be called a child of God and be able to communicate my faith freely in this country. In so many other countries, Christians are being persecuted and not allowed to share their faith. God however gives them effective ways to communicate their faith and yet many die and are persecuted for what they believe in. I do not know how long before Australia will face a similar fate. Even now, we are ridiculed for our faith, aggressively hounded out of schools and many who were once Christians have gone silent to what is going on in this country. Many Christians are living lives of sin and communicating the wrong faith saying God will forgive me as long as I am saved. Attending Church is no longer relevant and many want out because they are busy on Sundays or just lazy.

True communication of our faith is born out of the knowledge of the word and its power. It is only in the results that such knowledge produces can one continue in faith as it saves a soul, opens the blind eyes, makes the lame to walk and sets the prisoners free. It also leads a person into more truth that raises that person up to new levels of faith never known or experienced before. It is this lasting faith through trials and good times, which does not need worldly solutions. A Christian believes because he has been convinced by effective communication of his faith that works and continues to work proving the truth of the gospel of Jesus the Christ.

The world needs this effective communication of faith that does not fear but lives life to the fullest by faith in the word of God.

The hour is upon us. Watch & pray

Call unto me and I will answer thee and show the great and might things that thou knowest not Jer 33.3

With love 

Pastor Noble