How The Holy Spirit Uses Various Channels to Communicate Christ’s Message
Acts 2:1-2:38
1. The Holy Spirit is not limited to any channel in communicating Christ’s messages. Dr. Luke wrote, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)
Ask the Lord to help you be more open to all the channels that the Spirit may choose to use in communicating Christ’s messages: Large group, small group, TV, radio, family, institutional, literary, drama, music, historical, circumstantial, interpersonal, social, media, religious, tribal, ministry, organizational, Biblical, sports, gender, age groups, educational, political, cultural, financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual.
2. The Holy Spirit takes multiple channels and harmonizes His message through them for the greatest effect. Isaiah wrote, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessings on your descendants." (Isa. 44:3) Ask the Lord for help in helping you understand how the Spirit harmonizes a multiple of channels of communications for the greatest effect on each audience.
3. The Holy Spirit leads people through various channels of communications at just best time of responsiveness, receptivity and openness to truth. Jesus said, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:12,13) Ask the Lord to lead you through various channels of communication at the most opportune times when people are most responsive, receptive and open to truth.
4. The Holy Spirit knows how to use a sequence of the best channels of communications for maximum effects. Dr. Luke wrote, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside." (Luke 4:14) Ask the Lord to help you use channels of communication in the most effective sequence.
5. The Holy Spirit imparts the wisdom we need to move from what people know to what is unknown. The Spirit of God always uses something familiar to communicate a new concept to people. Matthew wrote, "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:16) Ask the Lord to help you move from the known to the unknown in your communications for the best results.
6. The Holy Spirit helps you use communication skills to find points of similarity between the scriptures and people’s cultural needs. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "The blood of goats and bulls sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God." (Heb. 9:13,14) Ask the Lord to help you find the links between scripture and people’s culture that will facilitate communications.
7. The Holy Spirit will help you work through indigenous people to communicate Christ’s truth. An old Hausa proverb says, "If you want to conquer a town, use the son of town to do it." Jesus said, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:9) Ask the Lord to give you great relationships with indigenous people who can use their insider communicational advantages for the improving of your ministry effectiveness.
8. The Holy Spirit uses the cultural norms to let communications flow more effectively. The first century church worked through house fellowships and extended family networks to expand Christ’s kingdom and message. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." (Acts 2:46) Ask the Lord to help you work through natural networks of communication using effective family and neighborhood relationships.
9. The Holy Spirit uses mutual trust, experiences and goals to enhance communications. Paul wrote, "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (Acts 9:31) Ask the Lord to help you build better trust, shared experiences in the ministry and shared goals to enhance your communications to your audiences.
