More on Communication

“My life is falling apart.” - Do you feel like this some times?

Do you suffer the crippling effects of poor and ungodly communication? In the Book of John, Jesus tells us that He is the communication of the Father… and that the Spirit is the communication of the Father and the Son… and since He puts the Spirit in us and thereby makes us a unity with Him, we become part of the communication loop…

John 14:8–11 (ESV) [8] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [10] Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

And then he goes on to say…

John 17:20-23 (ESV) [20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, [21] that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, [23] I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Jesus is reminding us that as Christians we becomenHis communication to each other.

Which means that if you are Christians, and when you look at each other and you are acting like Jesus, God is actually speaking to you through your relationship.

Quite literally, you and I are God’s communication - to each other and to the world. God has special revelation (His Bible, the words of God in vision and dream and prophet), and He has general revelation (nature, history, and you). And point of fact, I would say that God’s design is that the horizontal relationships between Christians is one of the primary ways that God shows Himself to this world…Which is one of the reasons the Bible says that we are made in the image of God. The world looks at you and is supposed to see the Wonderful Works of God.

Parents, your children are supposed to look at you and hear God talking to them. Children, your parents are supposed to look at you and see God speaking to them and growing them. We are walking, talking, analogical language…

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 (ESV) [1] Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Each of us should be able to say that. When we do good (Christlike, Holy Spirit empowered, God-derivative good) we are true language. When we do bad (satanic, selfish, falsehood-filled bad) we are false language.

You and I are general revelation then. You are God’s word being read every day by the people around you. And all of this means that how you communicate - and how you receive communication - is a spiritual discipline… a critical one.

Recently at Calaveras Presbyterian Church we were going through the Book of Ephesians, and if you were in those messages, you will well remember that this is a major theme of that book.

The first part of the book looks at Jesus and the work of the Father and the work of the Spirit. In predestination and election (deep theological truths that we come to the Father through the Son by the Spirit). But beginning in chapter 4, Paul turns to more practical things. He turns to exhortations that grow out of this deep look at the Trinity. And then chapters four and five contain deep discussions of the Christian walk, always and everywhere pointing out that it’s not a solo walk.

Ephesians 4:3-7 (ESV) [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [7] But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

And after all this grand theology, Paul says “therefore”… and we expect some great mission statement: “Oh boy… here comes my part of changing the world!”

We read:

Therefore… Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) [25] …speak the truth to your neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Communication… And he goes on to first and foremost talk about what godly communication looks like:

1. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger…

2. Go be reconciled…

3. Don’t let corrupting talk come out of your mouth… instead build each other up…

4. Be kind…

5. Forgive one another…

6. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor (shouting) and slander be put away from you.

Ephesians 5:4, 6, 11-21 (ESV) [4] Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, [6] Let no one deceive you with empty words, [11] Expose the unfruitful works of darkness, [18-21] be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

These are all communication-based commands, and he lists them before he gets to the specifics of wives and husbands and children and slaves and masters. Paul is saying that apart from truthful, Christ-like communication there can be no Christian home… Not possible… If you are not communicating Christ to your family by word and deed as a walking, talking revelation of God, you can’t have a Christian home.

And here is an application moment:

1. Are you bitter with anyone in your family? That has to end today. You are lying about Jesus if you are bitter… the Trinity is never bitter.

2. Are you envious? Of anyone in the church or in your life in general?… has to end today.

3. Are you employing filthy language and coarse jesting with friends at work?… has to end today.

4. Are you speaking about and making sexual innuendo… has to stop today?

5. Are you someone using lies or living a lie? There is no hope for your relationships then… They will all crash and burn.

Turn to Jesus.

Be like Jesus.

Walk in the Spirit of Jesus

#SundaySchoolNotes