Effective Faith Communication

UV 1241/10,000 Effective Faith Communication
“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Philemon 1 v 6

It is the back up of action that makes our words effective or else it will be dismissed as “mere words”. A life acknowledging God and His blessings makes our communication effectual or continually effective or impactful and positively influential. To acknowledge implies “to be conscious of, to remember, to affirm, to hold on to,to privately claim and to publicly state or proclaim, to be thankful for, to be unashamed or proud of, to esteem and cherish.” When we acknowledge in these senses every blessing we have on account of our faith in Jesus, our lives become shining lights for others. In acknowledging every blessing we communicate our faith in His saving grace, power and mercy in an effective way such that people ask, “ Why is it that his or her life is so blessed? What is the difference between our lives?” They begin to covet our blessings and not our possessions. They realize that we have the X factor in us that causes us to excel. In Christ we have a capable Savior, a competent captain, compassionate leader, a constant companion and a continual helper.

God has ordained only good things and not bad things for each of us for He has plans not to harm us, not to sadden us, not to make us fail but “plans to prosper us and to give us hope and a future.” In Christ Jesus we have every good thing in heaven and on earth. We are forgiven people who have got rid of our guilt and shame. We live for eternity being spared both judgement for sin and eternal penalty. We are now vessels fit for honour and to be used for noble purposes. We wear the spiritual clothes of salvation- the robe of righteousness. We wear the signet ring of authority given by the Father. We can command the forces of nature and the spirits of darkness. We have our minds focused on the purpose of life and our hearts filled with joy. We have access to all the riches assured to all who believe in all the wonderful promises of God. We are satisfied with every good thing. Our need is met. We are taught how to live on earth with the right set of beautiful attitudes so that each thought and word of ours is a blessing. We are given spiritual gifts to understand, discern, to impart, to encourage and build others up. Each teaching is a seed of the spiritual fruit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. We are protected from evil within and without. We are given wisdom according to the measure we ask for and as we need it. We have true freedom in Christ Jesus since He set us free in every sense and every way. We are freed from duplicity since we do not indulge in “ double-think” and “double-speak.”

In Christ Jesus, we have the anointing or enablement to be priest, prophet and king. We can claim every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We understand the mysteries of life and death and eternity. In Christ we have peace with God and peace with ourselves and others. He sets us free from fears, real and imaginary. In Christ we have the presence of God with us all the time. In Christ we have the angelic host surrounding us like a spiritual phalanx. In Christ we can make sense of every happening in our otherwise meaningless lives. In Christ we have a spiritual center of gravity that gives us both balance and focus. When we live in such a way conscious and thankful and joyful for this package of blessings of salvation we have in Christ Jesus, we communicate our faith both verbally and non verbally, with our words and in our silences to the spiritual have-nots or “not yet haves.” It is only such communication that is wholesome, holistic, life-saving, life-enhancing and useful to both listener and communicator.

Prateep V Philip