Effective Communication of Faith

The Secret of Effective Communication of Faith


That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Phileomon 1 v 6

When we understand our spiritual inheritance in Christ, we will realize how rich, how blessed, how fortunate we are. We will be like the four lepers at the gates of Samaria who went into the camp of the Syrians who had laid siege to Samaria. Having satisfied our hunger, we like the four lepers would like to go back to our people, the people whom we know and care for and share the good news to them that there was spiritual food in plenty and spiritual riches that will last for ever and available for everyone who would believe our testimony and God’s Word. It is the Holy Spirit who will use our words and our lives to impact others in our lives.

The communication of faith and the articles of faith is the most challenging type of communication for we cannot prove anything with hard evidence. Besides there are many dichotomies and contradictions between what we believe,what we do and what we communicate. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “ What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” In order that it be effective, convincing and persuasive, we need to understand every truth or precept or good teaching in the Word and appropriate every promise and blessing. People need to see the evidence of God in our words and our actions.

We share our faith all the time in the way we act and react. The communication of our faith is largely non verbal and sometimes verbal. The proportion is like the Pareto ratio: 80 per cent practice and 20 per cent teaching or preaching. Pareto ratio actually states that 80 per cent of our lives is taken up by the routine and only 20 per cent is taken up by effective and productive activities. But in the spiritual dimension, it is replaced by 100 per cent productivity or effectiveness in all aspects: 80 per cent practice and 20 per cent learning, sharing, communicating and teaching the precepts and truths of God. 80 per cent of the time we need to use to pray, meditate, understand, claim, obey, apply the Word and work out in the world and 20 per cent of the time we need to spend in sharing the benefits or good effects of what we have done.

Prateep V Philip