LET’S SPEAK BOLDLY AND CLEARLY!

HABAKKUK 2:2-3: “Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write down the vision And inscribe it clearly on tablets, So that one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay long.” NASB

OBSERVATION: Let’s speak boldly and clearly! So much of what the church proclaims today is not understood by the unbeliever or the unchurched. In fact, this is why so many have left the church. They do not find what the church is doing or saying relevant to their everyday lives.

We can err in two ways.

First, we can speak in church language that even the average believer does not understand. We use theological words that have no resonance in the current culture. Our messages may be filled with intellectual information and be lauded by a few but we are missing the mark of reaching most people. We can be so intellectual that we fail to love! The church of Ephesus in the Book of Revelation was such a church.

Second, we can speak in spiritual terms and operate in worship styles and practices that do not relate to the average man. The Corinthian church was guilty of this. Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for their misuse of spiritual gifts, especially that of speaking in tongues in the worship service. Paul’s concern was that the unlearned would walk into one of their meetings and think that they all were mad.

In both of these examples, the failure was to communicate boldly and clearly!

We have made many attempts at correcting these errors. Unfortunately, they have simply swung the pendulum to the other side. The Seeker Sensitive movement avoided any difficult subjects and tried to make the messages appealing and non-offensive so they would not lose anybody who was a sincere seeker. This really did not work as all it did was produce a group of anemic believers who were addicted to milk and never fed on the meat of the Word.

Others have tried to make their services so generic that there was no hint that the church believed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Services were always the same and predictable. Prophesy, tongues, and interpretation were not allowed in the main worship service so as to not offend anyone. The entire service was run from the platform by the pastor and the entire congregation became nothing more than a group of spectators.

In all of these extremes we have forgotten the example of Jesus!

Jesus never used the religious jargon of the day. Yet, Jesus at the same time did not dumb down His messages to avoid difficult or hard-to-understand subjects. Jesus preached and proclaimed the Kingdom of God in all of its power and glory in the plain language of His day and used parables that were based on common experiences to illustrate the eternal truths of God’s Word!

Jesus also never shied away from moving in the power and the giftings of the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus was never focused on style. He was focused on obedience to the heart of the Father and was sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Jesus moved in the power of God – healing, casting out demons, and performing miracles as the Holy Spirit led Him. There was never anything confusing or offensive in what Jesus did. Some objected, but it was not because of style – it was because of sin and the hardness of their hearts.

We need to be more like Jesus!

Habukkuk was called to be a watchman for the nation of Judah. He was called to warn them of the coming judgment of the Chaldeans that was coming from God because of their sinfulness and idolatry. As he listened to the Word of the Lord, the Lord was crystal clear to Habukkuk! He said,

• “Write down the vision And inscribe it clearly on tablets, So that one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay long.”

Note the Lord’s instructions. First, he was to write down the vision clearly on tablets. This was so that the runner, who would proclaim the word from the watchman, could run with the message clearly without any misunderstanding and deliver it to others. This speaks to the call to preach the Word clearly and in a way that proclaims the whole counsel of God so that it is easy to understand.

Second, the Lord reassured Habukkuk. “Though it delays, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay long.” This is a call to proclaim the Word with boldness, faith, and assurance. The things that we proclaim about the Kingdom of God may not yet fully have come to pass. Yet, God Himself assures us – “For it will certainly come!” Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.

Part of this boldness is to proclaim the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks to this when he writes,

• “I also was with you in weakness and fear, and in great trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Paul proclaimed the Word of God clearly, boldly, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Why? It was so that those who heard him would understand, believe, and place their faith in God. So much of what goes on today draws attention to the one delivering the message more than the One who gave the message. Our proclamation of God’s Word must always point people to Jesus Christ and lead them to faith in Jesus Christ!

We need to proclaim the Gospel today boldly and clearly! This is our call!

Lord, help me to be like Ezra and Nehemiah who, as they read the Word of God, explained it to the people so that they could understand what was being read. Keep me from extreme pendulum swings both in presentation and in style. May I be like Jesus, speaking boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit, and clearly in words and examples that everyone can understand.

In Jesus’ Name!