Relate.

The ability to relate is one of the most vital keys to communication. I would say there are 3 keys to communicate well: clarity, the ability to relate, and vulnerability. If its not clear, it can be the best message in the world but the others just don't get it. If they can relate it, they have a hook to hang it on and can take in so much more of what you're saying rather than trying to grasp an idea. The first two are how you're saying the message, and the last is what you're saying with the message. We've all heard someone speak and they're very protected with their speech by talking in generalities so you're not really sure what's going on or they talk so heartlessly it seems like a sales pitch which no one really wants. 

But the idea of relate is what stuck out to me today. Paul's explaining how he's been working and how hard he's fought. We're probably familiar with the passage: to the Jews I became like the Jews to those under the law- me too, those not under the law- me too, those who were weak- me too so that I might save some. I began to wonder what this would look like in modern day conveying our message of love and grace and the cross of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Jews: the culturally religious people who grew up hearing the stories and know the right actions but don't know the point or the heart of it. They will say, "well i grew up in a Christian household, but..." For them, we'll do the right actions and come along side and explain the reality of God made near. That relationship is possible to hear from God and talk to Him and show how He interacts with us on a daily basis. Pray for them to encounter God and not the idea of God for later.

Under the law: these people love Jesus a lot and are trying their hardest to make Him happy. They read their Bible everyday and pray and often fast, yet feel guilty and burnt out because there's always a little more they could do for Him. We can encourage them with the fact that God can't love them any more or less. If they pray, read, fast, and lead 20 people to Christ or if they sit on their butt and play video games all day- God loves them the same. Grace is what they need. Radical ocean of grace. Pray that their greatest encounters with God would be while not doing religious things. Let it be while eating or using the bathroom. Tell them how much you appreciate them and love them in the middle of times you'd never think about it. The times when they are just being and not doing anything. It messes them up because they think, "why are you saying that? What did I do to provoke that thought?" They need to know Gods proud of them and satisfied with them not because of what they do but because of who Jesus is.

Apart from the law: these are the atheists (angry or ignorant), the people who say "yeah, I think there's something bigger or greater...maybe," the people who don't really have a radar up for spiritual stuff. They're made as spiritual people, they just don't know it so we can start by talking about the "basic heart condition" of humans. I'm not saying evil, I'm saying the longing for something bigger. The longing to love and be loved. The longing to have a close family/community/group of people who love them. The longing to be beautiful and accepted. A desire to get rid of their guilt and shame somehow. Explaining the inner yearnings of your heart (vulnerability requires) because they'll be able to relate to that. From there discuss if everyone felt this way, then there must be a reason. It makes sense to me that we were made this way to be fulfilled. Then discuss how Gods intimate relationship and design fulfills those. We can pray that those longings get stirred up then God meets and fulfills those right where they are before we try to plug something else in to temporarily satisfy.

Weak: we would probably call these people "broken" more today. Notice in the passage he never says strong, just week. This is basically everyone without Jesus or some with Jesus who are being restored. We can lower ourselves. Ask more questions than we give answers. Most broken people don't need fixed, they need someone to care, listen, and empower them to get out. We can pray for love to encounter their core, improve their confidence, and heal what's been hurt. They don't need to know their problem, they need to know a way out. Sharing stories from your life of similar circumstances (requires real vulnerability not cheap broad details) and then explaining how God has walked you through and healed these areas. You may need to help walk them through prayers of forgiveness to other people or situations. Vulnerability and sharing your own hurt and process is most key. We can pray Gods love would transform and He would give us the right words to empower and lift them up. Pray that we could go low and be real without getting caught in their funk or lies from our past.

Finally, the motivation. I don't want us to go trouncing off to save the world with our ideas, patterns, plans and formulas. First off, just pray for Gods heart to be given to you and you would understand it. I try to minister to people all the time, I pray for miracles, for headlines, for words from God directly to their core- but finding that its when I stop trying and just let my heart love them where they are in that situation, its when God then gives me the words, ideas, and I can pray genuinely for them. God prefers to love people than to show off of what He can do. Paul explains that the love of Christ compels us. (2 Corinthians 5:14) That's exactly what I desire and pray for you and I. That the love of Christ would compel us, consume us, and overwhelm us today, tomorrow, and every other day that ends in -y first for ourselves to be full, then for us to overflow onto others. Blessings and wisdom. Amen.