In the movie Emperor's Club Kevin Cline portrays an instructor of Western civilization in a prestigious private school. It is the first day of class, and about 30 high school boys, dressed in matching red jackets, settle into a room adorned with maps and busts of Caesar, Plato, and Socrates. Take a look (show Emperor’s Club—How Will History Remember You video clip).
The professor asks one student to read a plaque above the door. The student is clearly nervous as he leaves his seat and walks to the door. The plaque itself appears to be an ancient artifact.
The student delivers an uncertain reading of an inscription that makes little sense to him:
I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Ashand and Susa, Sovereign of the Land of Elam. By the Command of Inshushinak, I destroyed Sippar, took the Stele of Nirah-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my God, Inshushinak. Shutruk Nahunte 1158 B.C.
The teacher then asks the class, "Is anyone familiar with this fellow? Texts are permissible, but you won't find him there. Shutruk Nahunte. King. Sovereign of Elam. Destroyer of Sippar. But behold his accomplishments cannot be found in any history book. Why? Because great ambition and conquest without contribution are without significance."
He ends by posing this question: "What will your contribution be?" (Emperor's Club, Universal, 2002, directed by Michael Hoffman, written by Neil Tolkin, 00:07:39 to 00:09:00; www.PreachingToday.com).
What will your contribution be? People can be very busy, even very powerful, but accomplish nothing of lasting value. How about you? Do you want to make a significant contribution to the lives of others? Then I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 14, 1 Corinthians 14, where the Bible describes how God’s people can make significant contributions to each other and to those who don’t know Jesus yet.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up (ESV).
Paul is contrasting the gift of tongues with the gift of prophecy, and He says the gift of prophecy is better for building up the church. Speaking in a foreign language (even a prayer language) benefits only the speaker, because no one else understands that language. However, proclaiming God’s Word in a language people understand benefits everyone. It builds them up, increasing their potential. It encourages them, helping them pursue God’s will, and it comforts them, bringing calm in a time of turmoil.
So, if you want to make a significant contribution to the lives of others, use your spiritual gifts to benefit others, not just yourself. That’s the essence of love—seeking another’s benefit above your own. And that’s the way to make a real difference in people’s lives.
PROCLAIM GOD’S WORD INSTRUCTIVELY.
Express yourself in useful terms. Speak in ways that edify or build others up.
Warren Wiersbe put it this way: In your ministry, aim at edification, not entertainment (paraphrased from The Bible Exposition Commentary). Pursue improving people, not impressing them with yourself.
Richard Dahlstrom went rock climbing with his friend Kevin, a more experienced climber, who served as Richard’s belayer. Now, the belayer holds the rope to keep the climber from falling to the ground. On this particular climb, Richard was exhausted and ready to quit, so he politely asked Kevin to help him get back to the ground, but Kevin refused.
“Falling,” Richard shouts, and Kevin put a brake on the rope. After a few feet Richard comes to a stop, hanging and spinning around while new blood delivers recovery energy to his fingers and his spent arm.
Richard cries, “I'm done, man. Lower!” expecting Kevin to lower him to the ground and congratulate him on a good try.
Instead, Kevin says, “I'm not lowering ya, man. You can climb that.”
“Funny,” Richard replies, thinking Kevin is trying to be funny. “Lower, please.”
“Not funny,” Kevin says, laughing. “You. Can. Climb. That.” He speaks in staccato, punctuating each word to make sure Richard hears him. Richard continues to spin, hanging from the rope, about forty-five feet in the air. “Try it again,” Kevin shouts.
And Richard thinks, “Who is this person, telling me what I can and can't do? Friends don't let friends dangle in midair, do they? What did I ever like about him? “No, really. I'm finished,” Richard cries out.
To which Kevin replies, “No, really. You can climb this.” And Richard realizes that Kevin is not going to let him quit.
So Richard reconnects with the rock, and Kevin tightens the rope as Richard tries again, and falls again. Once more Richard asks to be lowered. Once more Kevin refuses. Once more Richard tries, and this last time, he succeeds and finishes the climb, exhilarated by the triumph (Richard Dahlstrom, The Colors of Hope, Baker Books, 2011, pp. 101-103; www.PreachingToday. com).
That’s what good friends do. They help you “raise your game,” so to speak. And that’s what you must do if you want to make a significant contribution to the lives of others. Help people raise THEIR game, not YOUR game. Speak and act in ways that edify or build others up. Proclaim God’s Word instructively. Then…
PREACH GOD’S WORD INTELLIGIBLY.
Express yourself plainly. Speak clearly.
1 Corinthians 14:6-9 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air (ESV).
Shepherds used flutes or harps to signal their flocks, and soldiers used bugles to direct their armies. But if shepherds or soldiers produced indistinct sounds, their flocks or armies would scatter in confusion. In the same way, you must speak clearly to benefit people.
1 Corinthians 14:10-11 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me (ESV).
Literally, I will be a barbarian to the speaker and the speaker a barbarian to me. Even though the language, whatever it is, has meaning, it is barbaric to those who don’t know the language.
1 Corinthians 14:12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church (ESV).
Seek the simple gifts over the spectacular ones. In other words, strive to speak intelligibly, not in tongues, so the whole church can benefit.
Several years ago (2005), the state of Washington’s Secretary of State, Sam Reed, tried to communicate with the state’s significant Chinese and Korean population in their own language. So translators translated his messages to taxpayers into Chinese and Korean on the state's website. Unfortunately, the translations caused even more confusion.
For example, when Reed wrote about “statewide mandates to restore public trust,” the Chinese version read, “Swampy weed suggests whole state order recover open trust.”
Reed blamed the translation software, which turned his words into Chinese characters. So he pulled the translations, saying, “If it's totally confusing, it's worthless” (“Uh, How's That Again?” The Christian Science Monitor, 2-03-05; www.PreachingToday.com)
You can say the same thing about the church’s message: “If it’s totally confusing, it’s worthless.” Speaking in tongues may provide a spectacular element to the worship service, but if no one understands the words, it’s a waste of time and effort.
The same can be said about using Christian jargon—insider words like repentance, regeneration, and redemption. They’re great words, pregnant with meaning; but if people don’t understand them, your efforts to communicate are worthless.
So communicate clearly in a language most people understand. Instead of telling people to “repent,” tell them to turn from their exhaustive, useless activity to finding rest in Christ. Instead of talking about “regeneration,” talk about how depending on Christ can give people a brand-new life. Instead of promising “redemption” for those who turn to Christ, promise freedom from bondage to destructive habits and behaviors. And leave the tongues-speaking at home away from the public worship services of the church. Just speak plainly if you want to make a significant contribution to the lives of others.
1st, Proclaim God’s Word instructively. 2nd, Preach God’s Word intelligibly. 3rd…
PRAY INTELLIGENTLY.
Praise God with your heart AND your mind. Worship the Lord in spirit AND in truth. Give thanks with passion AND reason.
1 Corinthians 14:13-15 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also (ESV).
Do not park your mind at the door to the sanctuary. On the contrary, bring your mind with you to worship, along with your heart and soul. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND” (Matthew 22:37). Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit AND TRUTH” (John 4:23).
To be sure, there are times our hearts engage with the Spirit in “groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). But in the public worship services of the church, our minds must also engage with the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:16-17 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up (ESV).
Only when people understand what you’re saying, can they agree with or benefit from your praise.
1 Corinthians 14:18-19 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue (ESV).
Five plain words have more power than 10,000 words in a language no one understands. So engage the mind in your worship. Think deeply. Ask the hard questions. Wrestle with ideas.
Tim Keller once said, “In order for us to worship, our mind, will, and emotions have to be moved” (Tim Keller, Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2; www.PrechingToday.com). For without the mind, worship morphs into meaningless activity over time.
Flannery O’Connor put it this way: “One of the effects of modern liberal Protestantism has been gradually to turn religion into poetry and therapy, to make truth vaguer and vaguer and more and more relative, to banish intellectual distinctions, to depend on feeling instead of thought, and gradually to come to believe that God has no power, that he cannot communicate with us, cannot reveal himself to us, indeed has not done so, and that religion is our own sweet invention” (Flannery O'Connor, “Habit of Being,” Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 3; www.PreachingToday.com).
Without the mind, your relationship with God becomes meaningless.
Bruce Larson talks about a friend of his, who is a professor at an Ivy League school. Laron’s friend told him about a conversation he overheard:
The head of the astronomy department was speaking to the dean of the divinity school. The astronomy professor said, “Now, let's face it. In religion, what it all boils down to very simply is that you should love your neighbor as you love yourself. It's the Golden Rule, right?”
“Yes, I suppose that's true,” replied the dean of the divinity school. “Just as in astronomy it all boils down to one thing—'Twinkle, twinkle, little star’” (Bruce Larson, “Faith for the Journey,” Christianity Today, Vol. 31, no. 2; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s absurd! So it is when you reduce Christianity to a few pious platitudes or “warm fuzzies” on a Sunday morning. Doctrine IS important. It’s not enough just to believe. You must know WHAT you believe for your faith to have any meaning.
John MacArthur says, “The attitude that scorns doctrine while elevating feelings or blind trust cannot legitimately be called faith at all, even if it masquerades as Christianity. It is actually an irrational form of unbelief” (John MacArthur, Grace to You, www.gty.org/library/articles/A142/does-doctrine-really-matter).
You’re a practical atheist if you disengage your mind in worship. So, if you want to make a significant contribution to the lives of others, 1st, Proclaim God’s Word instructively; 2nd, Preach God’s Word intelligibly; 3rd, Pray intelligently; and so, #4…
PERSUADE EFFECTIVELY.
Convince people to worship God. Convert unbelievers to believers in Christ.
1 Corinthians 14:20-22 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers (ESV).
Tongues were God’s sign of judgment for unbelievers. When Israel refused to believe the prophets in their own language, God warned them that He would speak to them in a foreign language. Paul quoted Isaiah 28:11–12 here, which was a reference to the invading Assyrian army 700 years before Christ. Their “barbaric” language would confuse the Jews but clearly communicate that God was judging them.
700 years later, in Paul’s day, foreign languages in Israel were still a sign of judgment for the unbelieving Jews. Less than 20 years after Paul wrote these words (in AD 53), the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem (in AD 70) and the Jews scattered all over the world. They had rejected their Messiah, and God’s judgment fell as a result.
God designed tongues as sign that judgment would come to the unbelieving Jews. That judgment fell in AD 70, and so tongues soon faded from use in the church (that is until the last 100 years). It makes me wonder what God is trying to communicate to unbelievers today. Is it still a sign that judgment is soon to come—like the judgment of the Great Tribulation? Perhaps, because tongues, though unintelligible, have for centuries been a clear sign of judgment for unbelievers.
Prophecy, on the other hand, benefits those who believe. The proclamation of God’s Word signals salvation for those who trust its message.
1 Corinthians 14:23-25 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you (ESV).
A clear prophetic word convicts unbelievers and converts them into true believers. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Pastor Hugh Litchfield talks about a time when he walked into the Norfolk General Hospital where he heard someone calling his name from across the lobby. As a man approached, he called out, “Hi, Dr. Litchfield, remember me?”
About 10 years earlier the young man had visited Dr. Litchfield’s church. He was facing possible jail time over tax violations. He turned to alcohol to numb the pain, which in turn jeopardized his marriage and his relationship with his children. His life was in desperate shape.
But on that day 10 years later, the man said to Dr. Litchfield, “I want to thank you.”
“For what?” Dr. Litchfield replied.
The man answered, “One Sunday you preached a sermon about taking responsibility for our lives, not to blame what we become on somebody else. God used that sermon to speak to me. That afternoon I got down on my knees and prayed to God and promised to take responsibility for my life. With God's help, I did. Since that time, life has been great. I got out of trouble with the IRS, I became the master over the bottle, my marriage is better than ever. I want to thank you.”
As the man left Pastor Litchfield standing there, the pastor was overwhelmed by what he heard… Later, he went back to his office to dig that 10-year-old sermon out of his sermon files. When he found it, he glanced at the note he had written at the top the day after he preached it: “Dead in the water! No one listened! A waste of time!” Hugh Litchfield, Visualizing the Sermon: Preaching Without Notes, CSS Publishing, 1996; www.Preaching Today.com).
God’s Word got through when Pastor Litchfield thought he had failed to connect with anybody. That’s the power of God’s Word! So use it as a part of your regular conversation with people.
If you want to make a significant contrition to the lives of others, 1st, Proclaim God’s Word instructively; 2nd, Preach God’s Word intelligibly; 3rd, Pray intelligently; and so, #4, Persuade effectively.
Two boats that responded to the Titanic when it was sinking.
One boat, the Californian, was about 20 miles away. They turned off their radio about ten minutes before the Titanic hit the iceberg. They saw rockets and flares shoot off in the distance. They couldn’t figure out why another boat was shooting rockets and flares, but they didn’t turn on their radio, and they didn’t investigate. They saw the boat’s light turn off, but thought it was just turning its light off for the night. The crew of the Californian were so busy with their routines, they couldn’t imagine the Titanic sinking.
The other ship, the Carpathia, was 58 miles away. But its radio was on, and when it got the call that the Titanic was sinking it powered up all its engines and headed straight for the Titanic, navigating around icebergs in the night. It ran full-power ahead for 3.5 hours. When the crew showed up at the scene of the disaster, many had already perished, but they saved 705 lives from the lifeboats (William Hull, Strategic Preaching: The Role of the Pulpit in Pastoral Leadership, Chalice Press, 2006; www.PreachingToday.com).
Which would you rather be? The Californian or the Carpathia? A church just going through the routine? Or a church on mission, saving lives? Let’s seek to be a church on mission, utilizing the simple proclamation of God’s Word to save lives.
